About the artist

Hugh Kearney was born and raised in Fredericton, N.B.  He received his B.F.A. from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1987.  Upon graduating, Hugh worked as a designer for the Federal Government for a year before heading to Whistler to pursue his love of the outdoors and skiing.  After 12 years of living in Whistler, Hugh and his wife moved to Brooklyn, New York for 7 years and then returned to B.C. to live in Vancouver where he currently resides.

Hugh has since shown in many group and solo shows including N.Y.U, New York, Tabec Musee, Vienna, Austria, La Minoterie, Nay, France, Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, NY, as well as many private galleries throughout Canada and the US.  Hugh has work in many private collections throughout the world, mostly due to his time selling works in Whistler.  Hugh has also received grand prize for “Painting on the Edge” in 2009, the Lawren Harris Award from the Federation of Canadian Artists in 2011, and the London Carpet Commission for Canada House on Trafalgar Square in 2014.

 My recent paintings are a blend of hard core modernism, landscape observations and First Nations attributes. To honor my Mother and Grandmother, I acquired my certificate of Indian Status in 2017. I am part of the Maliseet Nation. I have been using First Nations elements in my work for the last several years. You can see it in the use of traditional colours of black, red and white and a bit of cross hatching.