Backlit by Black Light

Minnesota’s own artguy, Chuck Hughes, has travelled out of state this weekend for two nights of live painting in Fargo with another of Minnesota’s more creative entities, Wookiefoot. It’s a collaboration that is years in the happening. Chuck has been painting live beside the stage in Harmony Park Music Garden and with the Wookies at various festivals for the past couple of years, pushing and pulling his brush along wherever the music and the moment lead.

Chuck draws a lot of inspiration from the vibe around him and uses live musical settings to stay in touch with his creative side, usually setting himself ambitious goals of two or three paintings a night and working to live grooves.

Painting alongside some of his favorite bands is Chuck’s way of bridging a gap between the stage and the easel. A lot of the time an artist has already done their work and is out of the public eye while their art is displayed. Chuck noticed this when he was hired to paint the backdrop for the main stage of the 10,000 Lakes Music Festival for the first time in 2005.

The work led right up to the start of the festival and then, for the most part, it was done. He had a booth to sell some of his merchandise from, but Chuck felt a disconnect from the action by being distanced from where the music was happening and where his booth and inevitably his artwork had to be—far enough from the stage for freaky people to dance—and that was too far, so he started painting in his booth and hosting intimately small jam sessions for willing watchers. These turned into late night black light painting adventures where quiet music and art met and matched themes.

That can be an example of how art really does reflect the environment around it. The paintings are usually pretty wild and sort of represent some sort of ethereal presence interacting and dancing with the present moment in an animation-meets-realist-impressionism type of style that glows in the dark. If that says anything about the music this art must be reflecting, then it sounds like you’d better be at these shows this Friday and Saturday.

I’ve had the opportunity over the last week to pick Chuck’s brain a little bit while he was doing a live art installation at Mellow Mood in Moorhead, transforming some pretty straight walls into seemingly wide open spaces where the walls don’t quite appear to be adding up anymore. That’s what he does. He’s an art guy, paints recreations of the things you stop and look at outside -– sunsets and trees and the like.

He demonstrates that you can live how you love if that’s how you want to live and do what you love doing to get by. Whoa, that was kind of a headful, but that is the vibe Chuck Hughes has. If you can let your heart run with your imagination and trust your gut to get you where you’re going, you should be just fine, whatever your endeavor may be.

This particular weekend’s endeavor is painting beside the stage with Wookiefoot and Chuck will be auctioning his paintings off after the shows this weekend. He’s willing to watch his work walk off for really good deals, so if you want to come check out something that’s even cooler than television, be at the Aquarium this Friday and Saturday for an exploration of the beauty on the weirder side of life. Come and enjoy live art.

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INFO:

What: Wookiefoot and Bettina Villamil (Fri), or John Wayne and the Pain (Sat),
simultaneous live painting by Chuck Hughes.
Where: Aquarium
When: Fri and Sat, Nov 13 & 14, 9 p.m.
How Much: $12 adv, $20 both nights, $15 door. 21+ID