Neal Hughes' paintings are rooted in the American realist tradition as defined by artists such as Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth. With a traditional approach to composition and technique his work incorporates contemporary design with a classical sensibility.
Interested in art from an early age, Neal first started painting when he took art lessons in grade school. He went on to graduate from the Philadelphia College of Art (University of the Arts) and his work is included in numerous private and corporate collections. Neal is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists, and has won numerous awards, including the Maritime Gallery Yachting Award and an Award of Excellence at the prestigious International Marine Art Exhibition at the Gallery at Mystic Seaport. In addition, he was the grand prize winner of the Utrecht 60th Anniversary Art Competition, winning the top prize out of over 12,000 entries.
“In my work, I combine observation with memory and imagination to create images in which I attempt to transform the beauty of nature or the ordinary and everyday into a work of art that is rooted in tradition but with a contemporary vision. My inspiration can come from the quality of the light at a certain time of day, an extraordinary view or the underlying beauty of the commonplace. I find great joy in discovering the relationship between the divine and nature as I work and I hope that the viewer of my paintings will sense something bigger than the scene before them; something with a larger sense of purpose. “
