Artist Statement
I am constantly exploring the nuances of beauty and the influence of nostalgia and loss on our life experience. When I examine all of the elements of my personality, relationships, and life experiences, the predominating theme is the connection between great love and great loss. My work is an attempt to mark the moments of time when one is aware that the separation between joy and suffering is actually quite small. The idea that beauty can hurt and great love is often bound to great suffering fascinates me. I am in a constant pursuit to maintain our connection to beauty, awe, and wonder while also acknowledging the separation from these notions that occurs as we age and our daily responsibilities multiply. My most recent series, Fragments, seeks to represent our limited memory of a landscape and how we carry only a piece of that reality forward and thereby experience the ache of the loss of time itself. I employ a variety of mediums including encaustic, oils, and medium format film photography in this endeavor.
Artist Biography
Erin Hughes (b.1976, Greenville, SC) lives in Anderson, SC. She received a BA in Biology from James Madison University and a MA in Science Education from Boston University. Erin began working with film photography in high school and started painting in 2015. Always motivated to learn and further her technical proficiency, she honed her skills with encaustic and oils under the tutelage of artists such as Lisa Pressman, Mark Russell, and Jeffrey Hirst. Hughes explores the connection between beauty and loss from her studio in the West Village of Greenville. Her work can be found in private and corporate collections including the permanent collection of the Anderson Arts Center and RiverOaks Charleston. Her work has been featured in Faire and Town Carolina magazine. Recent and upcoming exhibitions include a solo show at Fork & Plough in 2023 and an upcoming solo show at The Anchorage, hosted by Art & Light Gallery in early 2024. In addition, Erin’s work has been shown in many group exhibitions across the East Coast, including NYA in New York, NY, Photoplace in Middlebury, VT, and A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, TX. Erin is represented by ACP Interiors in Highlands, North Carolina and Indigo in Anderson, SC.
Selected Exhibitions (*Solo exhibitions)
Upcoming 2024 Artisphere, Emerging Festival Artist, Greenville, SC
2024 *“Fragments of Construct”, The Anchorage, Hosted by Art & Light Gallery, Greenville, SC
2023 * Deconstruction, Fork & Plough, Greenville, SC
2023 48th Annual Juried Show, Anderson, SC
2022 Indie Craft Parade, Juried Exhibition, Travelers Rest, SC
2022 47th Annual Juried Show, Anderson, SC
2021 Indie Craft Parade, Juried Exhibition, Travelers Rest, SC
2021 46th Annual Juried Show, Anderson, SC,
2020 Indie Craft Parade, Juried Exhibition, Travelers Rest, SC
2019 Summertime, Juried Exhibition, ASmith Gallery, Johnson City, TX
2019 BOCO Art Show, Greenville, SC
2019 Trees, Juried Exhibition, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT
2019 Abstract, Juried Exhibition, Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, SC
2019 44th Annual Juried Show, Anderson, SC
2019 Texture, Juried Exhibition, NYA Gallery, New York, NY
2018 Fauna, Juried Exhibition, Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, SC
2018 43rd Annual Juried Show, Anderson Arts Center
2017 42st Annual Juried Show, Anderson Arts Center
2016 41st Annual Juried Show, Anderson Arts Center
2015 40th Annual Juried Show, Anderson Arts Center
2015 Wildlife Shoot: Photographers on Assignment, Group Exhibition, Anderson Arts Center, Anderson, SC
2014 39th Annual Juried Show, Anderson Arts Center
Representation
Art & Light Gallery, Greenville, SC
ACP Interiors, Highlands, North Carolina
Indigo, Anderson, South Carolina
Collections
Anderson Arts Center Permanent Collection
Awards
2023 Merit Award, AAC Juried Show
2022 Purchase Award, AAC Juried Show
2021 Merit Award, AAC Juried Show
2019 Merit Award, AAC Juried Show
2018 Mark Hoyle Merit Award, Floral Arts Purchase Award
2017 Callie Stringer Rainey Award, AAC Juried Show
2016 Bruce Campbell Merit Award, AAC Juried Show
Website publications
2023 “Cafe Culture at The Bradbury Bistro”, Town Carolina, October 2023
2023 “Roddy Pick: Local Matters”, Town Carolina, March 2023
2021 “Moments of Connection”, Faire, June 2021
2017 “16 Timeless Photos of the Sea that will Inspire You”, Feature Shoot, 2017. http://www.featureshoot.com/2017/07/16-timeless-photos-sea-will-inspire/
2014 “Sailing the Chesapeake Bay with Erin Hughes”, Let the Kids, 2014. http://letthekids.com/erin-hughes-sailing-day/
