Richard Hughes

Shop our series of Richard Hughes ‘Halo Drawings’. All are based on found images from record sleeves, music books and magazines unearthed in second-hand shops and markets. While some of the figures are more well-known than others, they were chosen purely for their shared quality of having halos made by backlit stage lighting or sunlight. Some pieces nod to images of saints, and the backlit hair offers a suggestion of another time captured on film.

All the drawings are made using washes of watercolour before Hughes works in with coloured pencils. The pieces move on from his earlier (often monotone) pencil drawings with more vibrant colours being layered to achieve various luminescent effects. The source photographs act as a guide for the artist, with the colours (for background, figure and light) being chosen as the drawing develops. Hughes’ technique varies subtly throughout the series so he can enjoy the process and adapt the style depending on the portrait.