Representational painter Ron Hicks’s figures and interiors seek to achieve a balance between revealing too much detail and revealing too little, reviving many of the artistic considerations of 19th-century French impressionism. Perhaps as an antidote to this tension, Hicks emphasizes the forms and light of a particular space and sitter. “I am a shape guy, he says. “By that I mean I see things more in terms of shape rather than the objects or people. Everything is about shape, medium shape vs. large shape, lighter shape vs. darker shape.” His paintings have an emotional and moody tone, which he achieves through his vigorous brushstrokes and his use of multiple shades of gray.