Meet the Artist

Hugo Brees

Stone Sculptor | Photographer

Born in Schoten, Belgium. Lives and works in Southwestern Alberta, Canada.
 

   Hugo Brees doesn’t know what brought him into the world of art – he readily admits he will never know. “I couldn’t draw a decent stickman,” he says, yet, in his working life Hugo has spent the largest part of it creating. His first foray was into the international market manufacturing of custom archery bows working in the world of hand-hewn molds and resins. Moving on into the construction industry Hugo became well-known for his elaborate interior design details on commercial and residential projects; he also engaged in custom-home design builds. 
   Semi-retirement was looming after 25 years, when commercial photography entered Hugo’s life, becoming a passion that led to an 20+-year stint as an award-winning photojournalist in the publishing industry, where he was honoured with numerous provincial and national awards for his work. 
   In 2016, Hugo turned his life skills to a new art form – sculpting. An admirer of the Italian Renaissance architect and sculptor Lorenzo Bernini, he seized the opportunity to venture into stone carving one day as he cruised the web in search of tools and types of stone. Armed with a set of manual carving tools and a block of Brazilian soapstone, Hugo “dove in”. 
   Hugo finds that the medium provided the perfect avenue to freely create art, not become a replicator of existing art. Consumed by the stone’s texture and density, but most of all its willingness to surrender to his imagination, Hugo challenged himself through trial and error. Through this discovery Hugo found he was able to “bring the stone to life, giving it a soul”. 
   Abstract and contemporary design create a mainstream theme in Hugo’s sculpting. His passion to work the stone means hours of patience and purposefulness that must surround this art form.       Hugo has begun to amass a solid portfolio since his induction into sculpting. His first year was highlighted by the initial sale of a piece from his collection during his first show with the Sage Brush Arts Society, of which he is a former member. 
   Hugo’s work has begun to attain notoriety in art circles, earning his work top honours in the 2018 and 2019 Alberta Wide Art Show; an exhibition of that same artwork in the 2018 Alberta Spirit Show in the Visual Arts Gallery in Edmonton and an invitation to show his work at the 2018 Alberta Society of Artists annual gallery. 
   A number of Hugo’s Signature pieces have been sold into the hands of private collectors throughout Alberta. 
   Now fully retired to Southwestern Alberta, he has recently exhibited his work through the Crowsnest Pass Art Gallery and Pincher Creek Allied Arts Council venues.
   Hugo maintains his studio hours, experimenting with new finishing techniques and types of stone, including Italian alabaster, chlorite, as well as numerous soapstone compositions from Brazil, Rankin Inlet, Italy and the United States.