#47: At a Crossroads

#47: At a Crossroads

Having finished my variation of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, I find myself at a crossroads. Should I continue experimenting with pop-art style reinterpretations, or return to portraiture, this time layered with colour and the moiré effect? In this post, I reflect on the weight — and potential — of choosing a direction.

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#44: The Mathematics Behind the Moiré

#44: The Mathematics Behind the Moiré

Moiré patterns look almost magical — waves and distortions that shift as you move — but beneath that strangeness lies complex mathematics. In this post, I reflect on the hidden geometry behind moiré and why, as an artist, I prefer to feel it in the studio rather than calculate it on paper.

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#42: The Invisible Layers of a Painting

#42: The Invisible Layers of a Painting

Every painting carries layers the audience never sees — tests, failures, underpaintings, and hours of trial and error. In this post, I reflect on the hidden groundwork behind my current moiré project, and why those invisible stages matter as much as the finished surface.

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#41: Trusting the Experiments

#41: Trusting the Experiments

Before a painting exists, there’s a lot of invisible work — the quiet stage of testing and failing. In this post, I share how I’m using a sacrificial Perspex sheet to experiment with paints and varnishes for my moiré project, and why these unseen steps are vital to inventing a new process.

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#39: The Difference Between an Idea and a Painting

#39: The Difference Between an Idea and a Painting

Some ideas arrive perfectly in your mind — clean, sharp, ready to be made. But painting them is a different story. In this post, I reflect on how the transition from concept to canvas reshapes everything, and why that unpredictable shift is part of what makes painting worthwhile.

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#33: The One I Didn’t See — and Someone Else Did
Art, Art Discussion, Art Show, Authenticity, Paint, Portraits, Wall Michael Hebda Art, Art Discussion, Art Show, Authenticity, Paint, Portraits, Wall Michael Hebda

#33: The One I Didn’t See — and Someone Else Did

One of my paintings, All That Glitters is Gold, is currently hanging at Holmfirth Artweek — a piece I haven’t even seen in person at the show. But this week, someone messaged me to say they had… and that it meant something to them. That small moment reminded me why I do this.

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#32: For the Wall or For Myself? Making Art with Eyes on It
Art, Art Discussion, Authenticity, Paint, Portraits, Wall, Show, Art Show Michael Hebda Art, Art Discussion, Authenticity, Paint, Portraits, Wall, Show, Art Show Michael Hebda

#32: For the Wall or For Myself? Making Art with Eyes on It

As Holmfirth Artweek approaches, I’ve been thinking about the shift from making work just for myself to preparing it for public display. This post explores that balancing act — the tension between private instinct and public sharing — and why I think both sides matter.

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