Clive Hicks-Jenkins was born in Newport, South Wales, in 1951 and grew up close to his family's farming roots in rural Monmouthshire. He was unhappy at secondary school but in his spare time he acted with Monmouthshire Young People's Theatre, attended ballet classes and drew, and at twelve he escaped to study dance at Rambert in London and theatre studies at the Italia Conti School.

He worked as an actor in films and television, and toured Europe and America as a dancer. From his early twenties until his mid thirties, Hicks-Jenkins was a highly successful choreographer, director and stage designer, creating productions with leading companies, including the Vienna Festival, the Almeida Theatre, Theatr Clwyd and Cardiff New Theatre, where he was Associate Producer. His stage designs displayed a powerful vision, and exhibitions of them were held at Oriel Theatr Clwyd, Cardiff New Theatre and Newport Museum and Art Gallery.

His first solo show of paintings was held at the Kilvert Gallery in 1996. Since then, he has exhibited regularly with the Attic Gallery in Swansea, the Martin Tinney Gallery in Cardiff, Keith Chapman Modern Art in London, and Anthony Hepworth Fine Art in Bath, and has had well-received exhibitions in public galleries. He has been a member of The Welsh Group since 1997, exhibiting with them throughout Wales, in Scotland, Ireland, France and also in the USA, and 56 Group Wales since 2004. In 2008 he was nominated a Royal Cambrian Academician.

Several of his artist's books have been produced in collaboration with The Old Stile Press. He has taught on the postgraduate course in drawing at the Royal College of Art and is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales Aberystwyth School of Art. After working from a studio in central Cardiff for several years, he recently moved to Mid Wales.