Mat Hughes
Mat Hughes
Untitled #1, 2020
Van Dyke Brown Print finished with Gum Arabic and bee’s wax
Arches 300gsm cotton rag
Image area 230 x 165mm
Hand Made print from a 4 x 5 film negative
Framed in Japan Black stained Victorian Ash
Framed size: 44 x 44cm
$535
I found this vase in a junk shop. It’s pretty old and has the most beautiful green glass. For something so fragile I do wonder how it has managed to survive for so long. The flowers were collected with my daughter. We try to visit the wetland reserve at the end of our street for our one-hour exercise. Back in the studio the vase sits on my work bench beside the window. For me, this still-life is less about stillness and more about seeking a balance and trying to hang on to it when it appears.
Mat was born in Libya when the country had a King and raised in the UK. He was given a blue plastic camera when little, so naturally went on to study photography. After three years at the Plymouth College of Art & Design, he hit the streets of London in 1984 as a freelance photographic assistant.
In 2009 he moved to Melbourne with his Australian born wife. With the birth of his daughter in 2012, he became a full time stay at home Dad. Between juggling the demands of a busy home life, he has continued to pursue his photographic craft.
“I’m drawn to journeys. I like the idea of moving through a landscape towards an unknown distant horizon. I love wide open spaces and their simplicity in shape and form. Little nuances in a landscape interest me. Geography and history play their part too, but I like to stand still and imagine the passing of time over the land”
With over 35 years’ experience, his craft bridges traditional wet-process film techniques as well as digital photography. Framing and presentation are integral to his process, and each is chosen carefully resulting in these finely crafted works.