Hugh DeWitte

A Bit About Me

Hugh graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and resides in Dallas, Texas. He lives near the High Five Interchange; the tallest highway overpass in the world, where the inspiration for his current work began.

Hugh’s drawings and paintings use long, expressive strokes and primal mark-making to explore the energy, concurrency, and beauty of what he calls “highwayscapes.” 

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His spontaneous and free-form improvisational style incorporates the flowing lines seen in modern highways to create an atmosphere of strength and curiosity. The work does not intend to reproduce locations as a visual journalist or witness, but rather how these structures convey feelings of exploration, movement, compulsion and even inner conflict.

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These roads become a metaphor for modern life’s hum, with all its achievements and struggles. The mark-making, layers, colors and spirit denote the weight, life pulse, drama and nature of man’.

In drawings, the graphite is quickly and expressively added in different stages using multiple grades and types of pencils. In paintings, oil paint is applied in overlapping layers, using different lines, colors and shapes to express the spirit and nature of our urban environment.

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Recently the collection has evolved to include more abstract interpretations of “circular sightings” and "the accounting" needed when human interactions and relationships are changing, transforming cultural and social institutions.