Picking up a paintbrush

Aug 12 2009 by Matt Hurst, Heswall News

JO Hughes was a portrait photographer until family matters shifted her priorities. Now the children are older, she’s blazing a trail with a paintbrush.

The 46-year-old from Lower Heswall told Wirral Arts: “It’s only in the last year that I have been doing this professionally.

“I gave up the photography because it was getting too much with the children.

“I started designing greeting cards but once the initial design was done, I needed something to keep me going.

“So I took up painting, got some commissions and was encouraged to exhibit.

“I had my first exhibition in April at Mostyn School and then my first solo exhibition at Ness Gardens at the beginning of July.

“My confidence grew from the commissions and I got a lot of positive feedback, so when I went to Ness Gardens, I sold a few pieces which encouraged me to go full-time.”

Jo is a self-confessed lover of blue skies and this instantly characterises her work.

Her solid blue skyscapes lend a depth and coolness to her work, allowing her to bring emotion to foreground scenes where a small child may be playing, or a dog running.

This technique is particularly evident in her piece Before the Rain, the title creating a sense of anticipation and anxiety in the stillness of the painting.

And although this is a representation of a Cornish seaside, Jo says her home in Wirral provides much of her inspiration.

The mother-of-two said: “There’s just so much here, but it’s not until you actually stop and walk to different places that you notice.

“So many people get in a car and don’t see further than the road.

“I live right by the Dee and the quietness of it, the beauty, there’s something so inspiring.

“We live in a beautiful place and I don’t think a lot of people realise how outstanding it is.”

As well as her painting, Jo produces quirky greetings cards under the name So Dotty, and photography remains a passion.

Jo Hughes is exhibiting for seven days at Ness Gardens from Wednesday August 26. Her work can also be found at Stables Gallery, Brimstage.