Painter who gained a first-class degree in 1988 from University of Ulster in Belfast where he was born, then his master’s degree in fine art, 1989. Architectural images and words were notable features of his canvases. His work won first prize at the Taylor Awards in 1989; it was chosen for the Claremorris Open Exhibition in 1989 and 1992; and it appeared in the 1994 shows Works on Paper and Beyond the Partitions, put on by Queen Street Studios, Belfast, with which he was associated. His later solo exhibitions included City Reformed, at Rubicon Gallery, Dublin, and Limerick City Gallery of Art, both 1993. Hughes’ work received wide media coverage and is held by Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Irish Contemporary Arts Society and Monaghan County Museum.