Born and raised in Southern California, Elaine Hughes developed an intense love for the coast, which is why it is often the setting for her richly beautiful oil paintings. Elaine Hughes creates all of her works with a palette knife due to the texture and movement it gives to each painting. “I started painting children at the beach using my three young daughters and their friends as subjects. The beach and children are still my favorite subjects to paint, however, I always have my camera to capture any intriguing subject with good lighting – buildings, roads, animals, people…anything.” ~ Elaine Hughes

 

Elaine hopes that viewers looking at her paintings will stop, be still, and realize the beauty in the simple moments of life. “I think that most people have so many things on their minds during the day, that they don’t take the time to see the beauty around them. So, when they look at my art they stop and realize how peaceful and lovely ordinary things can be. Also my oil paintings of figures or roads leave room for each viewer’s own version of what is happening in the scene. One of my favorite compliments that someone gave me was that my paintings were "evocative.” Currently, Elaine Hughes is exploring the connection that surfers have with the ocean: “There seems to be so much freedom and joy when they’re in the water.”

 

When Elaine Hughes isn’t painting, Argentine tango dancing is another passion. “I try to paint the feeling that the dance evokes as opposed to the movement. The connection between partners is the essence of the dance. In painting and dancing, technical ability falls short without heart and soul.”