In Shara Hughes’ Magic Hour, 2016, the artist creates a series of frames within the canvas, akin to Russian nesting dolls, each one leading the eye further into the work and acting as portals into increasingly abstract spaces. Operating between abstraction and representation, the present example exemplifies the artist’s practice of “painting intuitively from her subconscious.” In the foreground, Hughes constructs a frame out of twinned symmetrical trees. A layer deeper, a border of kaleidoscopic colors frames a striated band reminiscent of curving blades of grass. The scene within takes up the largest portion of the canvas: a vibrant mountain rage with expressionistic strokes bisected by a molten river. This image is itself a frame for a portrait-like silhouette filled with mysterious cloudy skies and a wave-filled body of water, suggesting an inner, imaginative reality.
“I want to live inside them.”
—Shara Hughes
Hughes began painting her psychedelic landscapes in 2014. Previously, she had painted interiors with representations of real objects from her life. The transition represented the introduction of the unconscious mind into her work. Mia Locks reflected on the artist’s improvisatory method: “she starts by making aimless marks on a blank canvas, without any preconceived notion of what they will become. Pouring, splashing, spraying, dripping, churning, or scraping-there are innumerable physical actions Hughes might use as she negotiates form through paint. Her initial mindset is open; she lets herself play.” Her use of materials—oil, acrylic, spray paint and dye—blend to create a dazzling energy. The artist’s spirit of play imbues the work with a vivacity that recalls the Fauvists and her use of warm yellow light evokes the Post-Impressionism of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. Hughes’ flamboyant works abound with creative energy and offer insight into the potentials of imagination.
