artprint, $16.00 each. Image size 9" x 11¾".
Also available: blockmounted $35.00
or framed $145.00 (double mat & wood frame, approximate outside measurement 17" x 20")

I quote from the book: "By 1973 Hughes had come to terms with the ugly new ferries plying the coastal waters between Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the mainland, as indicated by An Arbutus Tree at Crofton Beach 1973. It is a work that allowed Hughes to explore varieties of texture and shape in a satisfying and felicitous manner. The forceful vector of the raft that has been swept onto the beach balances the equally forceful diagonal of the arbutus tree. The smooth bark of the arbutus trunks contrasts with the texture of the barnacle-encrusted raft and the rocks.

Hughes also played with the fall of light, casting heavy and space-defining shadows on the tree trunk but fewer shadows on the ground below. He carefully worked out the composition to emphasize the recession into space, even eliminating a boat that was at the left in the original drawing. Finally the painting is a close study of tone and colour: there must be at least ten shades opf blue and an equally subtle range of greys, from blue-grey to grey-black and purple-grey. The work has an almost palpable sense of reality, but the fact that it "feels real is entirely due to Hughes' art."

This ferry is 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.

For more information, or to place an order send e-mail to Pacific Outlook/Excellent FrameWorks, or use the Secure Order Form.

I can also be reached at Excellent FrameWorks by phone, 250-746-7112, between 10am and 5:30pm Pacific time, Monday through Friday and between 10 and 4 on Saturdays.

return to E. J. Hughes index page

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