As one of British Columbia’s most celebrated artists, E.J. Hughes continues to be remembered for his strong depictions of the West Coast landscape.
Madrona Gallery presents an exhibition of his works on paper from July 10 to 24. The collection offers a glimpse into Hughes’ process and how he observed the world that is captured through his paintings.
Creating his works on location, Hughes would later add written notes regarding tone and colour. This dedication and focus shown in his preliminary sketches and drawings would provide the foundation for larger, fully realized paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour for years to come.
Hughes studied at the Vancouver School of Applied Art and Design from 1929 to 1935 under Charles H. Scott, Jock Macdonald and Frederick Varley. He would later go on to serve as an official war artist from 1943 to 1946. Hughes was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1968 and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Order of Canada in 2001 and the Order of British Columbia in 2005. This will be the first focused solo exhibition of his works in more than a decade.
Madrona Gallery is open with regular hours. To ensure the health and safety of clients and staff, staff monitor the number of visitors in at a time, require masks to be worn in the gallery and ask visitors to respect social distancing guidelines.
Visit madronagallery.com for more information.
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West End Gallery features the work of accomplished British Columbia artist Peter Wyse this month.
Wyse, who lives just outside Vancouver, has eclectic art interests ranging from Matisse and Rothko to the murals of Mesoamerica. The influences are evident within his spatial relationships and his lively use of colour and line. Wyse takes delight in the mundane, using his style of layering and sanding flat coats of paint to reveal how the ordinary can become extraordinary.
“I live within a landscape of dog, frogs, flora and fauna, and even a rubber duck or two. My life is both peaceful and playful and this is what I paint,” he said.
With a playful nature and a love of country, his paintings celebrate his love of place, people and animals.
Visit westendgalleryltd.com for more.
At The Avenue Gallery, Lorna Dockstader transports viewers to memories of favourite places. The works are inspired by her surroundings, but portrayed in her own style.
“Except for a few people surfing, we were the only ones walking along Chesterman Beach,” Dockstader said of experience that inspired the work.
“I was taking photos under a grey sky with a drizzle of rain. The only sounds were those of the gulls, and the huge waves crashing against the rocks. I could almost see a sea stack in the opposite direction. Most of it was obscured by mist. I thought about the challenge of inventing the colours I couldn’t see. Colours that captured the many moods of that day. Sea glass blues, crisp clean surf, charcoal greys and navy. The lights, the darks, the rhythms, the mystery of it all. So exhilarating.”
See more at theavenuegallery.com.
The Peak 16x16 Acrylic on Birch Panel by Peter Wyse. (Courtesy West End Gallery)
