Memories of E.J. Hughes

“We must use time creatively.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Renowned local artist E. J. Hughes, who painted the landscapes of coastal B.C. for more than 70 years, recently died of cardiac arrest in a Duncan, B.C. hospital. He was 93.

His exploration in the varieties of texture and shape, use of vibrant colours, and his talented ability to capture the beauty of our West Coast will always shine in his beautiful canvas paintings. Often hailed as the successor to Emily Carr, Hughes will be remembered as a great Canadian whose impact on Canadian Art and Culture will forever live on...

An Arbutus Tree at Crofton Beach 1973.
"You can see the ferry approaching Crofton on Vancouver Island. It has come from Vesuvius, a village on Saltspring Island which can be seen behind the ferry. In the distance can be seen the coastal mountains, including the twin peaked Lions, of the mainland"


View of Maple Bay in the early 1970s.
"It is full of detail from the driftwood in the foreground, people relaxing on the beach and at the government dock, as well as a magnificent arbutus tree on the left. The "STORE" sign painted on the roof of the Maple Bay Store was large enough to attract distant boaters with binoculars"


The Public Wharf, Cowichan Bay.
"A watercolour that Hughes divided into three zones: the foreground contained within the wharf, the water in the middle ground, and the mountains and sky in the background"


Davis Lagoon Bridge, Saltair B.C.
"The realities of modern life intrude into the work dramatically, the composition relying on the strong power lines and the sinuous curve of the roadway, the centre line in particular"

"I feel that when I am painting, it is a form of worship.

I see how wonderful nature is and how wonderful art is...

and by trying to produce these works of art,

I feel that I am just showing my appreciation of these creations"

~E. J. Hughes