B.C. Artist E.J. Hughes Celebrated in Feature Documentary Following Major Art Sale
British Columbia's beloved painter E.J. Hughes, renowned for his iconic seascapes and landscapes, is receiving feature documentary treatment that will premiere on the Knowledge Network. This cinematic exploration comes on the heels of a nearly $5 million sale of his artwork, highlighting the enduring appeal and value of Hughes' distinctive visual legacy.
From Short Films to Feature Documentary
Filmmaker Jenn Strom discovered the inspiration for her first feature-length documentary while researching a series of short films focusing on British Columbia artists. The resulting film, The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes, draws extensively from biographer Robert Amos's five books about the Vancouver Island-based painter.
"I was just looking at this book full of beautiful images of B.C. and also layered with photography of how these little towns have looked then and now," said Strom, specifically referencing Amos's E.J Hughes Paints Vancouver Island. "All these materials have already been gathered. All the ingredients are here. It's just ready to be made into a film."
Strom recognized that no major film had been made about Hughes and believed the Knowledge Network audience would particularly appreciate the project. "There's just a great love for this painter's work," she explained. "So I pitched it."
Broadcast Premiere and Festival Success
The documentary enjoyed a successful festival run and recently sold out multiple screenings at the VIFF Centre. It will have its broadcast premiere on the Knowledge Network on April 16 at 9 p.m., with streaming available across Canada on knowledge.ca.
Through interviews, archival materials, and Amos's biographical work, Strom has created a detailed portrait of the painter who died in 2007 in Duncan at age 93. "He painted till the day he died," noted Strom, addressing misconceptions about Hughes' personality.
"I think there is a contradiction, where the media has often presented him as a recluse, which really has a lot of connotations of being kind of a weirdo, or grumpy, or you don't like people or something," Strom observed. "And yet, anyone who knew him describes him as sweet and open and curious, and really interested in people and lovely to talk to."
Accessibility of Hughes' Work
Major Canadian institutions including the National Gallery of Canada hold Hughes' work in their collections, with the Vancouver Art Gallery maintaining the most extensive public collection. However, these galleries don't display his paintings full-time.
The Audain Art Museum in Whistler stands as the only institution with Hughes' work on permanent daily display. "It's quite hard to see these paintings in-person," acknowledged Strom. "What the Audain Art Museum has done is very important."
Hughes' work also resides in numerous private collections, including The Vancouver Club's ownership of Eagle Pass at Revelstoke (1961). "It's a gorgeous painting, but that's pretty much, at this point, the only one that someone can access, aside from the Audain Art Museum," Strom noted.
Artistic Evolution and Provincial Inspiration
The documentary presents a valuable opportunity to experience Hughes' work while learning about the province that inspired him. Strom traces the artist's evolution from his early attempts to work as a commercial fisherman during the Great Depression—an endeavor thwarted by seasickness—to his service as a war artist during the Second World War.
The film follows Hughes' artistic development, offering viewers a comprehensive look at an artist whose flattened, colorful depictions of boats, shorelines, and familiar British Columbia landscapes have become iconic. Collectors particularly prize his bolder, more stylistic works from the 1940s and early 1950s.
Former Vancouver Art Gallery senior curator Ian Thom, who has surveyed Hughes paintings in the VAG's vault, represents one of many voices contributing to this cinematic portrait of a painter who, according to Strom, "embodies the spirit of slowing down, going quiet and being really, really present with what's right in front of you."
