Never-seen blossoms burst with colour in some antediluvian forest. The geometric forms of plankton float past in imagined oceans. A dark pulsing kaleidoscope of amoeba presents itself and vanishes back into its subterranean lair.

The microorganisms that seem to inhabit Michael McHugh's luminous depths are meticulously researched fictions. The artist studies botanical and micro-zoological forms both ‘in person’ and through the extensive archives of research libraries, using his studies and sketches as the basis for the final forms of his paintings.

The transition from existing life form to the imaginary depicted in his works makes many detours and takes many surprising inspirations along its path. The patterns and textures of silk kimonos, for example, have found their way into the subtle colours of McHugh's biota,¹ as — perhaps less surprisingly — have the structures of RNA and DNA. The resulting works become an amalgam of a history of scientific research and the artist's own thought processes, leading to the creation of vivid personal ecosystems. There is also a strong playful element in many of the works — the artist is having fun as a world-maker, and that enjoyment shines through in his art.

Michael McHugh is still relatively new to the creation of art, but his works show a depth and maturity beyond many who have been in the business for decades. Fields of wild abstract shapes mesh perfectly with meticulous, almost obsessive, detail work. The intense luminous patterns of the epic Pollinator have a focussing quality that complements the shifting nebulosity of the background, which seems to recede into an indeterminate distance. Spring Forward, with its collage-like foliage of dot and vein patterns perfectly balances on the line between pop art and op art.

While many of the artist's works are vividly bright, the most recent pieces in this exhibition — including the two mentioned above — show a return to a ‘blue period’. The submarine blues and rich, sombre purples have created more muted, meditative works. Deep connection with nature and the ever-turning cycle of existence, always a feature of the artist's work, is brought to the fore in these pieces, as is nature's role as a sanctuary from a world in turmoil.

1. Alexandra English, "Kaleidoscopic," Mindfood, 2024.