Lot 3: Edward John (E.J.) Hughes 1913 - 2007 Canadian

Edward John (E.J.) Hughes 1913 - 2007 Canadian watercolour on paper Near the Forest Museum, Duncan 20 x 24 inches 50.8 x 61 centimeters signed and dated 1998 and on verso signed, titled and dated Literature:Ian M. Thom, E.J. Hughes, Vancouver Art Gallery, 2002, page 187 Provenance:Dominion Gallery, Montreal The Estate of Dr. Max Stern, Montreal Private Collection, Vancouver As Ian Thom states, "By 1980, E.J. Hughes was the most important landscape painter working in British Columbia", and he is now considered to be one of the most important landscape painters in Canada. Living in Duncan on Vancouver Island, Hughes focused on the surrounding Cowichan Valley for his subjects, this scene being particularly close to him. The BC Forest Museum, now called the BC Forest Discovery Centre, chronicles the history of logging in British Columbia on a 100-acre site with indoor and outdoor exhibits, and includes forest with nature trails and a heritage railway. True to Hughes's customary style, nature dominates the cene, with the more subtle evidence of man's interactions with it signified by the presence of the sign and small houses in the background. By 1991 Hughes had turned his full attention to watercolour, a medium he was a master of, exhibiting fine attention to detail and seemingly effortless washes. In Near the Forest Museum, Duncan, Hughes captures the atmosphere of tranquility that is so much a part of the Cowichan Valley through the lush green vegetation, softly glowing sky and serene waters.