Philip Hughes

From an early age I was keenly interested in Art. Whilst still at Primary School, several of my works were displayed in London as examples of what could be achieved at this formative stage.

After passing the 11+ examination, I unhesitatingly opted to attend the High School in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. This was a very special school, sadly closing in the 1980’s that was dedicated to developing the education of children with talent in creative subjects whilst maintaining a balanced education curriculum.

After ‘A’ levels, I applied to study Fine Art in London at St Martin’s School of Art which at the time was one of the premier colleges for art education in England. After graduating from St Martin’s I attended a teacher qualification course at Manchester University and obtained the Art Teacher’s Certificate in Education.

Using this qualification I taught in several schools in Oldham but principally at the Blue Coat School. I remained on the staff at the Blue Blue Coat School until retirement.

The fact I was a teacher for so many years may explain why my work is so varied. It is true to say that I have no one very recognisable style or subject matter and this is a direct result of focusing on ‘how to do’ rather than ‘what to do’ so that i could pass on a wide knowledge of techniques and skills to the students.