Lot 47: Edward John (E.J.) Hughes 1913 - 2007 Canadian oil

Edward John (E.J.) Hughes 1913 - 2007 Canadian oil on canvas Above Crofton Wharf 32 x 40 inches 81.3 x 101.6 centimeters signed and dated 1976 and on verso signed, titled, dated, inscribed ""25"" and with the Dominion Gallery inventory #C6558 and stamped Dominion Gallery Literature:The E.J. Hughes Album: The Paintings - Volume I, 1932 - 1991, 2011, reproduced page 66 Provenance:Dominion Gallery, Montreal Private Collection, Switzerland E.J. Hughes, based in the Cowichan Valley area of Vancouver Island, had explored its coastline extensively. Above Crofton Wharf observes the kind of casual recreational enjoyment of the water so typical of Vancouver Island's east coast, showing cars and trucks scattered by the side of the road, there to use the Crofton Pulp and Paper Company's boat ramp. Hughes's keen eye for detail is evident in the inclusion of atmospheric elements such as the crow perching on the sign, the small boat zooming towards shore and the lighthouse in the distance. Cool silvery blues are contrasted with evergreens and enlivened by the yellow car and truck with their red tail lights and, in the distance, the red highlights on the lighthouse and the pleasure craft. On the right side is the iconic tree of the West Coast - the arbutus, with its brilliant orange bark. More than the sum of its details, Above Crofton Wharf captures an atmosphere of freedom and a peacefulness that derives from man's interaction with natural beauty. Hughes's acute vision of British Columbia made him one of Canada's finest landscape painters.