About the Artist
Based in
Medford, NJ
Biography

Neal Hughes is a graduate of The Philadelphia College of Art (University of the Arts) and resides in the historic town of Medford, New Jersey.

Neal is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists, a signature member of Oil Painters of America and the National Oil &Acrylic Painters Society, a member of the Salmagundi Club, American Impressionist Society and the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association.

A former illustrator, Neal has been painting professionally for over 35 years. His work is part of the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art and he has been accepted into numerous juried exhibitions including the national exhibitions of the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of American, American Society of Marine Artists and the Portrait Society of America.

His work has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist and American Art Collector magazines.

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Exhibitions and Events

Recent Awards Include: 

  • Gold Medal – Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition  
  • Award of Excellence – American Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibition Best of Show – Olmsted Plein Air Invitational  
  • Alden Bryan Memorial Landscape Painting Award of Excellence – Oil Painters of America National Best of Show and Artists Choice Awards - Cape Ann Plein Air 
  • Best of Show and Artists Choice Awards – Paint Grand Traverse competition

2021

  • Best of Show – National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society 2021 Fall International Online Exhibition
  • Award of Excellence – American Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibition
  • Best Marine Painting Award – Cape Ann Plein Air competition
  • Best of Show – Paint Grand Traverse competition
  • Artists Choice Award – Paint Grand Traverse competition
  • Life on the Farm Award – Plein Air Easton competition
  • Architectural Award – Paint Annapolis competition
  • Annapolis Gallery Association Award – Paint Annapolis competition
  • Best Nocturne Award – Paint Annapolis competition
  • Best of the Bay Award – Paint Annapolis competition
  • Award of Excellence – Oil Painters of America 2021 Salon Show
  • Best Urban Landscape Award – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival
  • Honorable Mention Award – Art Renewal Center International ARC Salon Competition
  • Award of Merit – National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society Spring International Online Exhibition

2020

  • Best of Show – Richeson75 Landscape, Seascape & Architecture 2020 competition
  • Second Place Award – National Oil And Acrylic Painters Society, Best of America Exhibition
  • Cezanne, Best Use of Light Award – Olmsted reImagined, Plein Air Invitational
  • Honorable Mention – American Impressionist Society 2020 Online Juried Exhibition
  • Subaru Award For Excellence – Paint Annapolis
  • Texas Artists’s Camp Award (Artists Choice) – En Plein Air Texas
  • Landscape Honorable Mention – Oil Painters of America 2020 Virtual Juried Salon Show
  • Artwork Archive Award of Excellence – American Impressionist Society 21st Annual National Juried
  • Exhibiton
  • Second Place – National Oil and Acrylics Painters Society Fall 2020 International Online Exhibition


2019

  • Gold Medal – Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition
  • Best Associate Award of Excellence – Oil Painters of America National Exhibition
  • Best Landscape – National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Fall On-Line International Exhibition
  • Artists Choice – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Competition and Festival
  • Best Nocturne – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Competition and Festival
  • Fourth Place – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Competition and Festival
  • Best of Show Award – Saint George Island Paint Out plein air competition
  • Founders Vanishing Landscape Award – Olmstead Plein Air Invitational
  • Best Architectural Award – Wayne Plein Air Competition
  • Honorable Mention – Eureka Springs Plein Air Competition
  • Honorable Mention Award – 14th Annual ARC International Salon Competition
  • Best Nocturne – Gloucester Arts Festival Plein Air Competition
  • First Place – Gloucester Arts Festival Quick Draw
  • Second Place – Parrsboro Plein Air Competition
  • First Place – Parrsboro Plein Air Quick Draw
  • Second Place – Paint Grand Traverse Quick Draw
  • First Place – Paint Grand Traverse plein air competition
  • Second Place – Bath County Plein Air Festival
  • Best in Show Peer Review – Bath County Plein Air Festival
  • Third Place – Cape Ann Plein Air Festival and Competition
  • Best Architectural Painting – En Plein Air Texas Competition
  • Best Landscape – National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Fall On-Line International Exhibition

Other awards include an Award of Excellence from Oil Painters of America at the 2012 Eastern Regional Exhibition, the Maritime Gallery Yachting Award and Awards of Excellence (2006 and 2013) at the prestigious International Marine Art Exhibition at the Gallery at Mystic Seaport. He was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence at the Fourteenth Annual Art of the Portrait Conference by the Portrait Society of America and First Place in the Richeson Figure/Portrait Competition. He has received an honorable mention award and has been a finalist many times in the ARC Salon. In addition, Neal was the grand prize winner of the Utrecht 60th Anniversary Art Competition, winning the top prize out of over 12,000 entries.