Philip Hughes: Painting the Ancient Land of Australia
In an astonishing collection of twenty-seven notebooks created over a quarter of a century, Philip Hughes has sought to capture the spirit of a place: its geological structure, its relationship with the surrounding landscape, and its occasional signs of human intervention.
These painterly but topographically precise notebooks record moments when the artist has been moved to draw what he can see, whether from the shelter of a standing stone in Orkney, Scotland, from the air over the Simpson desert in Australia, or from a postal boat sailing through the Norwegian fjords.Pieced together by Hughes himself from over a thousand drawings, this is a logbook of momentary observations. Some are swift sketches of fields or horizons, others are slower studies of lichen and flowers in Antarctica, or lines of quartz in granite in Cornwall. The depth of feeling and knowledge Hughes has for different terrains and climates underpins the beauty of this essential and inspiring selection of notebooks.
‘Dream visions of place and time, ranging from northern Europe to Antarctica. His drawings of Orkney simultaneously feel like topological diagrams and fever dreams’
The Herald
‘A testament to the beauty and clarity of creative expression. Its authenticity, thematic diversity, keen observations, and unconventional structure deliver a captivating window on the author’s creative mind’
Artwork
‘Hughes’ annotations will be fascinating for artists, but this coffee table book is for everyone’
Scottish Field
‘A masterclass in form and colour … stunning examples of landscape drawing’
The Artist
‘Diary entries with a difference … these painterly yet precise depictions can now be enjoyed by all’
Homes & Interiors Scotland
Thames & Hudson: Painting the Ancient Land of Australia
Philip Hughes: Painting the Ancient Land of Australia
From Karinjini in the west to Fraser Island in the east, via the northern Kimberley and far southwest of Tasmania, Painting the Ancient Land of Australia follows painter Philip Hughes, palette in hand, across the length and breadth of the country.
Hughes’s work is defined by his breathtaking portrayals of natural landscapes and human interventions, informed and inspired by maps and aerial photographs. With a bold graphic style complemented by expressive blocks of colour, Hughes’s practice seems particularly suited to the Australian landscape, as notable for its ecological nuances as it is for its stark extremes.
Featuring work created over a span of three decades, a mixture of elegant sketches alongside larger painted artworks, Painting the Ancient Land of Australia presents a deeply personal exploration of a continent.
Thames & Hudson: Painting the Ancient Land of Australia
tracks: walking the ancient landscapes of britain
Philip has always had a love of walking; following ancient tracks, tracing archaeological sites and their geological environment; and has centred the majority of his artistic work on such themes. This book, published by Thames & Hudson in 2012, with an introduction by Kay Syrad, follows Philip over eleven of his most favoured tracks in Britain from Orkney to the South West Coastal Path in Cornwall. It is illustrated with over 120 of his drawings and paintings and notebooks that have come from these walks. Two ‘Limited Collector’s Editions’ are available, clothbound and presented in a slipcase with a choice of either a print of ‘Brodgar’ or ‘Uffington Fort’. The works have been produced over a period of 40 years and show the breadth of the Philip’s work and styles, with each walk having a particular unique feel and look.
Patterns in the Landscape: The Notebooks of Philip Hughes
The story of Philip’s use of notebooks began in Vienna in 1988, when he chanced upon a notebook in a stationery shop. He was allured by the rough texture of the paper, the books shape and the whole idea of working notebook – something he had not done before. This book is testimony to that first notebook, the body of work that came from it, and the many notebooks he has filled since then.
With a foreword by Glenn Murcutt and over 75 colour illustrations, the book covers vast landscapes that he has encountered on his travels, from the Luberon in France, the Bungle Bungles in Australia to the USA and Iceland.
