James Hughes

I work in both sculpture and painting on canvas and Arches paper. My work follows two basic stylistic approaches. One is scattered or seemingly random shapes on a single ground. By varying the density and color, I can change the emotional trajectory and content of the composition. The second approach explores the use of spirals and loops as purely linear forms. In these paintings the pigment is applied by being extruded from plastic syringes of various sizes. By this method my work avoids the pictorial. My sculpture and painting are not burdened by stories and narratives but are objects in the world.
The most recent paintings are based on a figure/ground contest articulated by lines of various types and colors. The lines give a dynamic of movement and tension. These lines are applied not with a brush but are extruded directly from the paint tube or from a plastic medical catheter, which gives a physicality and dimension to the lines.
The width of the lines can be changed by cutting the tapered tip of the nozzle. I also use paint knives for heavier lines. This method creates line that appear to vibrate in relationship to the static ground color. I do not use a straight edge; the lines are the result of my hands.
In 197...

• BFA Industrial Design, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania
• Study fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA

Solo exhibitions:
• 1970 The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA
• 1971 The Fine Arts Work Centers, Hudson Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA
• 1983 Condeso-Lawler Gallery, 119 W.25 St., NY, NY
• 1986 The Museum of the Hudson Highlands, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY
• 1991 The Real Gallery, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY

Group Exhibitions:
• 1992 Hudson Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA, two person show with Rebecca Howland
• 1985 Hudson Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA, Group show
• 1983 Bette Stoler Gallery, 3 E 78th St. NY
• 1981 Barret House, Second Invitational Summer Exhibit, Poughkeepsie, NY
• 1981- 1982 Sarah Y. Rentschler Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
• 1980 Paperworks 80, The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY
• 1979 Barbara Gladstone, 38 E 57th St. New York NY
• 1978 Kathy Markel Fine Arts, 50 W 57th St. New York, NY
• 1975 C. W. Post Center Art Faculty Invitational Exhibition, Long Island University, Greenvale, NY
• 1971-1972 Ward-Nasse Gallery, 178 Prince St., New York, NY
• 1970-1973 The Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA
• 1970-1968 The Weedon Gallery, Boston, MA
• 1970 The Nashua Museum of Fine Arts, “Contemporary New England, Nashua, NH
• 1985 The Museum of the Hudson Highlands, Cornwall-on-Hudson, ...