In 1994, Hallifax was commissioned by the Prince of Wales to paint Derek Hill and the garden at Highgrove for the Prince's Trust[1] when he completed a portrait of Chris and Lavender Patten on a visit to Hong Kong as Royal Tour Artist.[2]
Hallifax's best-known self-portrait, used to advertise the BP Portrait Award on the London Underground, was bought by the fashion designer Paul Smith and now hangs in his shop in London's Covent Garden.[1]
In 1994 Hallifax was filmed painting a self-portrait for the Ireland Arts Show, BBC Northern Ireland. In 1999, he was filmed painting the journalist and writer John Diamond for the BBC1 profile Tongue-Tied. Diamond was being treated for the throat cancer that eventually killed him and had recently had had his tongue removed. "Let's see then," asked the artist. Diamond obliged.[4]
He has taught at the Ulster Museum (2001), in Belmarsh Prison (2008), and The Prince's Drawing School (now the Royal Drawing School), Shoreditch, (2011–2013, Big Drawings).
Style
His work is recognisable for its use of bold, simple, "vibrant"[5] images, often large-scale, set against simple backgrounds – series subjects have been folded hands, running chickens, 1960's tractors, ugly dogs, and portraits. He also paints small landscape sketches and makes large scale charcoal drawings. His pursuit of striking imagery has led to experimental combinations which fuse the snatched, blurred effects of instant photography with the painstaking formality of traditional oil painting. His playful use and subversion of traditional forms has been described as "undermining the heroic and heroising the ordinary".[6]
Other activities
Hallifax has worked as a chef,[7] and food consultant.[8] He has put on one-off food events at restaurants such as Moro (English Tapas, 2009) and the Zetter Townhouse (EatMyWords, a food story, 2011). He started the mobile food business Chorizo Express and is a partner in the East London pizza restaurant and wine shop Sweet Thursday. Also trained as a green oak carpenter, Hallifax has designed and constructed garden buildings and tree-houses.[9] He is a competent sailor, and a keen forager and culinary mycologist.