New Documentary on Life and Work of Painter E.J. Hughes Celebrates World Premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival

A new documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker Kevin Eastwood (BFA 1999) exploring the life of celebrated painter and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) alum E.J. Hughes (alum 1933) recently premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes throws a spotlight on the artist’s lifelong dedication to both his craft and to honouring the place he called home.

“Hughes worked tirelessly to become a better artist from age 11 onward. He put a lifetime of thought and commitment into his work, so it’s no fluke it resonates with people,” Kevin says.

“As somebody who values artists and what they bring to society and the world, I think what Hughes has done for this place we now call British Columbia is commendable. He recorded it and celebrated it through art in what genuinely feels like a lifelong project of service, almost like a calling. I think that should be recognized, and it’s wonderful to be part of a film that does exactly that.”

Written, directed and edited by filmmaker Jenn Strom, The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes chronicles the artist’s 70-year career, from his schooling at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (VSDAA; now ECU) and work as a Depression-era muralist to his time as a gunner and prolific war artist with the Royal Canadian Artillery and his subsequent development into the creator of some of the country’s most sought-after artworks.

Through interviews with retired Vancouver Art Gallery curator Ian Thom, artist and biographer Robert Amos and other historians and art-world luminaries, the film details the influence of experiences, including his childhood in Nanaimo and his fascination with illustration as a medium of expression.

In 1929, some of these early drawings would earn him entry to the VSDAA, which had only recently opened in Vancouver and, according to Ian Thom, was the first place in Western Canada to “seriously study art.”

There, Hughes would learn from artists including celebrated painter Frederick Varley, best known as an original member of the Group of Seven. Varley’s influence would help Hughes develop into an expert observer of the natural world — an evolution Kevin says underscores the importance of Hughes’ broader arts education.

“The influence of the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts was huge on him. For Hughes, it was a dream come true to go to an art school and have Fred Varley as one of his instructors,” Kevin says, noting that in 1947, Hughes would be awarded one of the first Emily Carr scholarships by Varley’s compatriot, Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris. Received after Hughes was discharged from the military and was embarking on his fledgling career as a painter, the scholarship provided vital support for the artist at a crucial moment of development.

“It just shows how massively important this school was to E.J. Hughes, both during his studies and throughout his artistic career,” Kevin continues. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation or making a movie about his life if not for the school. It can’t be overstated how monumental it was for creating this artist.”

He adds that while Hughes’ work is often viewed as celebratory, the film reveals the degree to which the artist’s life was shaped by hardship and loss.

“I wonder whether his view of the world and the art he made are products of those experiences,” Kevin says. “He knew tragedy firsthand, but rather than make art about it, he focused on his reverence and love for the landscape. That’s a valid response to tragedy and trauma. Understanding a little more about his personal story gave me some new perspective about where his images come from.”

Kevin says his own relationship to Hughes’ oeuvre reflects some of the quieter ways art can impact the life of ordinary people. In 2004, Hughes’ 1946 painting Fish Boats, River’s Inlet sold at auction for more than a million dollars — at the time, a record for a living Canadian artist.

That same year, Kevin was walking his dog on Spanish Banks when he looked up to see Fish Boats, River’s Inlet illuminated in the window of one of the area’s lavish homes. He stood “gawking” on the sidewalk, stunned even from a distance by its presence. He would return many times over the years to enjoy the sight, lit within a stranger’s living room like a private message.

Most of all, he says, seeing the history of his home province reflected with wonder in decades’ worth of Hughes’ work feels significant both personally and with regard to contemporary issues. Hughes’ work is not only (as the painter himself says) an act of “worship,” but a reminder of something crucial that needs protecting.

“All of these images really resonate with people from across BC. And while nobody would say Hughes was overtly political, his paintings are a celebration of the environment,” Kevin says. “BC is extraordinarily important from an ecological standpoint, and especially as climate change only becomes worse, it’s important to have imagery that reminds us of the uniqueness of this landscape, even indirectly. I think that’s incredibly relevant.”

The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes will continue its festival tour with an opening-night appearance at the New West Film Festival on Oct. 24, 2025, and will air on the Knowledge Network in 2026.