A Thriving Arts and Cultural Community
E.J. HUGHES AT EXCELLENT FRAMEWORKS
H
Above Shawnigan Lake
ughes remarkable career as an artist, spans 70 years and encompasses his work as a gifted printmaker, successful muralist, outstanding Canadian war artist and prolific painter. His paintings depict land, sea and small moments of daily life with a rare clarity and vividness. Hughes has a distinguished reputation
for work underscored by a passion for the beauty of the west coast of Canada. “Hughes is at his best depicting British Columbia’s unique beauty”, said Ian Thom. “Hughes has a deep affection for the British Columbian landscape and a vision that is unmistakably his own.” Despite the changing face of the visual arts, Hughes has remained steadfast in his exploration of a unique and personal approach to realism. The artist’s distinct style, marked by the use of flattened space, skewed perspective and simplified shapes, defies parallels with other artists or easy categorization within artistic genres. Hughes was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and spent a significant part of his
childhood in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Raised during the Depression, E. J. Hughes studied at the Vancouver School of Applied Art and Design. E. J. Hughes graduated in 1933. His talent was recognized early on in his career. One of his teachers was Frederick Varley of the Group of Seven, and another member, Lawren Harris, recommended him for the inaugural Emily Carr Scholarship. Hughes’ paintings are best known for their strong and appealing images of the landscape and seascape of British Columbia. Because of such, Jack Shadbolt described Hughes as “the most engaging intuitive painter of the BC landscape since Emily Carr.”
The Koksilah River
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His distinctive style of painting is marked by the use
Arbutus Tree at Crofton
“I have painted in the Cowichan Valley for fifty years and it is the most beautiful place on earth”
E. J. Hughes of flattened space, skewed perspective, and simplified shapes. The paintings combine compelling clarity with a sense of the unknown and an appreciation for natural surroundings. Excellent Frameworks Home of the EJ Hughes Gallery 115 Kenneth St, Duncan (250) 746-7112 www.ejhughes.ca
