Percy Frank Hockings

Percy Frank Hockings was a cousin of Reginald Hockings (1868—1932), one of the main figures in the Thursday Island and Torres Strait pearling industry from the late 1890s onwards.

Percy trained as an architect, along with his brother Edwin Morton Hockings. However Percy rarely practised as an architect and spent much of his time travelling widely. The two brothers travelled the world together (Europe, the Pacific, and Thursday Island) and between them accumulated a wealth of drawings, oil paintings and watercolours, of which these examples are a small part of the entire output.

The connection to architecture explains many things that have been observed in the paintings. Art and architecture have always been twin companions, and in this period the ability to draw and paint were vital to the draughting role in developing plans for buildings. It helps explain Percy’s ability to do an accurate drawing along with neat writing. It also explains his interest in proportions, the art of how things might relate to each other, even noting details for reference.