I grewupintheOxfordshirevillageofEwelme,
nearWallingfordCastle.I walkedmyselfto and
fromschoolfromaboutagesevenandit wasmy
favouritepartof theday.Thosedailytripsdefinitely
contributedto myloveof natureandthelandscape.
Weholidayedina smallcottageonDartmoor.It felt
impossiblywildandexcitingto behuddledupnextto
mymumat a stonecircle,drinkingteafroma flask,
andwatchinghugeraincloudsrolloverthelandscape.
I think I’ll end up in the Scottish Highlands eventually.
Maybe Glen Coe. The Highlands is a pretty exciting
place, both for cycling and painting.
If I’m not in Bristol, you’ll find me at Symonds Yat.
It’s in Wye Valley, a short drive away. I go deep into
the woods with a friend and we set up hammocks and
spend all day chatting and drinking coffee. So peaceful.
Camden Lock is my favourite spot for people watching.
It’s very similar to Stokes Croft in Bristol where my
studio is, so I feel at home. I’ll spend half an hour just
walking through the street food market, looking at
every stall. I love the roast pork baps with apple sauce.
I pop into the National Gallery whenever I’m in London.
I might only stay for half an hour, but that’s enough.
Being able to walk off the street and stand in front
of a Turner or Van Gogh, for free, is quite something.
There are so many British painters that inspire me.
The shortlist would include Stanhope Forbes and
Lucian Freud. I find JMW Turner’s seascapes of
boiling seas and bright light particularly moving.
I have a fondness for Victorian engineering.
Particularly viaducts, aqueducts and anything
Isambard Kingdom Brunel put his hand to – his
Tavistock Viaduct in Devon is one of my favourites. n
http://www.tomhughespainting.co.uk
“There are so many
British painters
that inspire me, such
as Stanhope Forbes
and Lucian Freud”
Tom Hughes
Landscape painter
MY BRITAIN
Portrait by Gareth Iwan Jones
Tom paints the Clifton
Suspension Bridge over
the Avon Gorge in Bristol