Breakwater Jammin – Windjammers off Rockland Breakwater Light 30×40
Collection of the New Britain Museum Of American Art
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 the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America and the National Oil &Acrylic Painters Society, and is also a member of the Salmagundi Club, 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.
Recent Awards:
2024
First Place – Modern Impressionist Magazine Salon
Best of Show – Olmstead Plein Air Invitational
Best Seascape Award – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival
Third Place – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival Paint Out (quick draw)
2023
First Place – Bath County Plein Air Festival
Plein Air Alden Bryan Memorial Landscape Painting Award of Excellence – Oil Painters of America Thirty–second Annual National Juried Exhibition Of Traditional Oils
Award of Distinction – American Impressionist Society National Exhibition
Second Place Award – National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society Best of America 2023 Exhibition
Award of Merit – National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society Best of America Small Works Exhibition
Honorable Mention – American Impressionist Society 4th Annual All Member Online Exhibition
Best Americana Painting Award – Cape Ann Plein Air Festival and Competition
Second Place Award – Gloucester Arts Festival Plein Air Competition
Second Place – Plein Air Easton Quick Draw competition
Merit Award – Paint Grand Traverse competition
Honorable Mention – Paint Grand Traverse Small Wonders competition
The Wayne Art Center Award – Wayne Plein Air Festival
Best Boat Painting – Shadows On The Teche Plein Air Competition
Third Place Award – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival
2022
Second Place – Oil Painters of America 2022 Fall Online Showcase
Award of Excellence – National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society 2022 Fall International Online Exhibition
Best Nocturne – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival
Best of Show – Olmsted Plein Air Invitational
Founders Vanishing Landscape Award – Olmstead Plein Air Invitational
Plein Air Magazine Award – Wayne Plein Air Festival
Third Place Award – Paint Annapolis competition
Second Place Award – Gloucester Arts Festival Plein Air Competition
Artists Choice Award – Plein Air Easton competition
Life of a Waterman Award – Plein Air Easton competition
Artists Choice Award – Paint Grand Traverse competition
Merit Award – Paint Grand Traverse competition
Purchase Award – Paint Grand Traverse competition
Best Use of Light Award – Plein Air In The Smokies Invitational
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 Festival and 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
2018
Artists Choice Award and First Place – Cape Ann Plein Air
Artists Choice and Award of Distinction – En Plein Air Texas
First Place – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival
Artists Choice – Paint Annapolis
Finalist – 13th Annual ARC International Salon Competition
Best Architecture – Wayne Plein Air Competition
First Place – Hammonton Plein Air Competition
Third Place – Salmagundi Club Nautical Theme Exhibition
2017
First Place – Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival
Artists Choice Award – Door County Plein Air Festival
Second Place – Cape Ann Plein Air
Best Use of Light – Cape Ann Plein Air
Second Place – Paint Annapolis
Third Place – Lighthouse Plein Air Festival
Best Nocturne – Solomons Island Plein Air Festival
Honorable Mention – Paint Annapolis
2016
First Place and Artists Choice Award – Plein Air Rockies
Second Place – Plein Air Rockies Quick Draw
Artists Choice Award – Mountain Maryland Plein Air Festival
Second Place – Cape Ann Plein Air
Third Place – Paint Annapolis Plein Air
Third Place – Paint Annapolis Dueling Brushes
Best Plein Air painting December/January 2016 Plein Air Salon
Source Tek Award – Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival
2015
First Place – Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival
First Place -Bath County Plein Air Festival
First Place – Plein Air Easton Quick Draw
Best Use of Light – Easels in Frederick
Wayne Art Center Award – Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival
First Place – Hammonton Plein Air Competition
Luc Herbots Memorial Award – Solomons Island Plein Air Festival
Honorable Mention – Oil Painters of America Salon Show
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.