Byron Villager – Artist Alley – July 2016
Featuring
Len Hughes
By
Jim Kogelheide
Humanity
& Nature
For many working class residents, such as
myself, the summer months are filled with day trips to local beaches, bbq’s in
the backyard with friends and family and bike rides along the Thames
River. It’s really hard for many
families to find the time and the money for extravagant vacations to exotic
lands, so we keep things simple… we keep things local.
I’m very happy to share with you the fact
that strolls along rivers, lunches on patio terraces in French villages and
adventures on small fishing boats in far away locations will be free of charge,
this summer…until August 7th, anyway!
Local artist, Len Hughes, is one of the
featured creative craftspersons who is showcasing his vibrant and rich
watercolour paintings throughout the summer at Aeolian Hall, just east of
London’s downtown. For the cost of a bus
ticket, you and your family will be able to travel to many exciting locations
from around the world!
Hughes fell in love with painting at a
very early age, but a busy career kept him from pursuing these passions, full
time, until he was a bit older. Over the
last thirty years, however, Hughes has established himself in the artworld in
many profound ways. With gallery
exhibitions throughout many Southern Ontario venues, including Grand Bend, the
Lambton Shores and London, Hughes has been delivering his unique talents in
many simple yet charming ways.
Although Hughes has a definite love for
scenic landscape paintings which reflect his love of Nature, I gathered from
our recent conversation that Len feels a deeper need to explore the many
intrinsic characteristics that humanity has used to shape our environment. “I find it more challenging to paint
streetscapes, bridges and markets,” explains Hughes, “as they require more
dedication to the composition process and to the precision of the line.”
As we talked, Len offered me one of his
many sketchbooks that almost fill two shelves of a bookcase. He explains how he loves to sketch figures
“in life’s action” and how he enjoys finding unique ways to incorporate these
people into his streetscapes for, “additional interest and dimension.”
Hughes is involved with many local art
groups, including the Gallery Painting Group, as they challenge him to complete
compositions on sight. While the people
and architecture, in his paintings, require much skill, Hughes finds additional
challenges in light as, “the sun doesn’t stay still,” until his creation is
complete.
Being involved with other local artists,
painting scenes found throughout Southern Ontario is very fulfilling for
Hughes, but for the last eight years Len has also been the organizing force
behind yearly visits to the Languedoc region of Southern France. He explained to me that there is so much to
see and do in just this one area that he feels compelled to return again and
again.
I asked Len if he was working on any new
and unique compositions or gallery exhibitions and he told me of his most
recent adventures: exploring the world of the Koi fish. “Their movement and colour really resonates with
me,” he says as he shows me several completed paintings and many more, still in
the creative process. Hughes is looking
forward to finishing this small series in preparation for the Westland
Gallery’s ‘Square Foot Show’ which will be running from mid July until mid
August, in the Wortley Village. The
opening reception will be on July 13th, starting at 7:00pm.
For more information on his Aeolian Hall
exhibition and the upcoming Square Foot Show simply email Len@LenHughesArt.ca,
and if you are looking for that free summer holiday that I mentioned earlier,
you can leave right away by visiting LenHughesArt.ca.
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