James Hillocks

James Hillocks (born 28 January 1915) was a Scottish painter. He won the Guthrie Award in 1947 with his work, the oil painting Portrait Of My Mother. He went to teach art in Ghana.

Life Hillocks was born on 28 January 1915 at 8 Cluny Terrace, Buckie. His father was Edward Hillocks (1870–1962) and his mother was Margaret Johnston (born c. 1872). His elder brother Edward Hillocks (1902–1962) was a motor engineer.

In 1949, he married Kathleen Kerr Moyes, known as Kay. They had a son, who was born in Buckie in January 1951.

The Hillocks had already moved to Ashimola in the Gold Coast, but Kay had returned to Scotland to have her baby.

Art Hillocks studied at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. He studied under Robert Sivell and was a contemporary of Alberto Morrocco and Taylor Bremner. With Morrrocco and Taylor he painted murals under Sivell's supervision, notably in Aberdeen University Union's exhibition hall.

James McClellan MacKendrick (1920-1988) had known Hillocks since 1945. Hillocks had followed the full course of 'Arts and Crafts' at Gray's School of Art and also obtained a teacher's certificate from the Education Department of Scotland.

While staying at 5 Cluny Terrace, Buckie, Hillocks entered two works into the Royal Scottish Academy exhibition of 1947. It was the first and only time he exhibited at the RSA. The works were: Portrait Of My Mother and The Schoolroom Window. He won the Guthrie Award with the portrait of his mother.

He received a Carnegie Trust grant which allowed him to travel Europe until September 1949.

One of Hillock's students was Edmund Tetteh, better known as Professor E. J. K. Tetteh, a painter of Kumasi Realism. Tetteh said of Hillocks that he was a great colourist.

Another student Grace Kwami received realist and impressionistic techniques from James Hillocks. Hillocks introduced those techniques from 1952.

The Hillocks went back and forth from Scotland to the Gold Coast over the next few years. The Gold Coast became independent in 1957, becoming Ghana. It is known that James Hillock stayed there after Ghana's independence. For how long is not clear. The Hillocks took a ship to England from Ghana in December 1958. They were returning to the Schoolhouse in Portknockie in Banffshire. It is not known if they returned to Ghana as usual later.

Works The Schoolroom Window has been for auction.