Barry Hilton

Barry Hilton is a celebrated British landscape artist known for his richly textured oil paintings that depict the changing moods of the British countryside and coastline. Born in Manchester in 1941, Hilton has spent decades refining a distinctive artistic voice, marked by dramatic skies, bold use of colour, and an almost tactile surface quality that draws the viewer into his imagined landscapes.

Entirely self-taught, Hilton began his artistic journey in the 1970s after a background in commercial design. Influenced by the Romantic traditions of landscape painting and the expressive qualities of light and weather, his work often captures the fleeting moments between day and night, storm and calm. His compositions typically feature rolling hills, winding paths, and distant farmhouses, presented in a semi-abstract style that balances realism with emotional atmosphere.

Hilton works primarily in oils, applying thick layers of paint with brushes and palette knives to build depth, light, and movement. His colour palette is both earthy and vibrant, often punctuated by deep reds, golden ochres, and rich purples-giving his skies and landscapes a glowing, almost otherworldly presence. He does not paint from specific locations but rather from memory and imagination, creating places that feel familiar yet timeless.

His paintings have been widely exhibited in galleries across the UK and internationally, and he is regarded as one of the country's most established and respected landscape artists. His work is held in numerous private collections, and his limited edition prints are highly sought-after for their dramatic yet serene qualities.

Now based in Lancashire, Barry Hilton continues to paint daily, drawing inspiration from the land, seasons, and sky. His landscapes offer more than scenery-they are quiet reflections of mood, memory, and the enduring beauty of the natural world.