Sold for: $97,250

PROVENANCE
Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Montreal, 1979 – 1980

LITERATURE
Jacques Barbeau, The E.J. Hughes Album: The Paintings, Volume I, 1932 - 1991, 2011, reproduced page 72
Robert Amos, E.J. Hughes Paints Vancouver Island, 2018, page 64, the related 1991 watercolour Cherry Point reproduced page 65 and the related 1991 canvas High Tide at Cherry Point, BC reproduced page 67

E.J. Hughes made his home at Shawnigan Lake, on southern Vancouver Island, from where he had access to numerous favourite sketching spots. Cherry Point, not far off the highway near Cobble Hill, was among these. As Robert Amos writes, “Cherry Point was easy for Hughes to get to.… He could drive to the shoreline and then sit in his car in the parking lot and enjoy views of the water.”

For more specifics about this particular scene, we have the note from the artist on verso, which reads: “This scene is on the east coast of Vancouver Island, near Duncan, BC. The land mass in the right rear is Salt Spring Island, largest of the Gulf Islands.

“The dark red trees are ornamental trees in the garden of a cottage just out of the picture to the left. The orange coloured foliage in the lower centre is a dead wild rose bush.”

Its rich and varied colouration is one of the pleasures of this canvas. The mixed deciduous-coniferous forest and grasses along the shore feature shades of green from pale sage to emerald to deep jade, punctuated by touches of gold and the afore-mentioned bursts of orange and burgundy. Under a slightly overcast sky, the scene overall has a muted tonality that suggests a day in late spring or early summer.

Hughes was often drawn to the seashore, sketching docks, industrial activities and vessels of all kinds, from ferries and freighters to pleasure craft. Cherry Point is a quieter, almost contemplative seascape, yet still with small signs of human activity. The clever composition directs our gaze along the log-strewn beach and rewards us with its details. Note the diverse types of water in the scene, from the smooth, shallow flows in the foreground to the reflective tidal pool to the ruffled chop in the distant channel. With close attention, Hughes has also introduced patterning throughout: in the stippled foreground grasses, stones or possibly oyster shells on the near shore, peeling bark on the beached logs, and lighter patches on the far hills. His eagle eye enables us to take in the many natural wonders of this stretch of coast, including towering Douglas firs no longer on the site.

As was his practice later in his career, when he had set aside his oil paints, Hughes returned to this scene and painted the same view, likewise titled Cherry Point (1991), in watercolour. That same year, he also produced, in acrylics, a vertical, more closely framed view distinguished by fall colours, High Tide at Cherry Point, BC. Cherry Point was a spot that inspired the legendary landscape artist, and through his original canvas, we can likewise be inspired by his singular artistic vision of the BC coast.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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