Robert Hughes started painting as a professional painter in 1982 without any formal training. He based his palette on eight earth colours and usually painted in oil, but on occasions did use gouache. He painted thousands of pictures and would add figures and animals to create more detail. In 1986 he became a member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters and in 1991 he became a member of the Hilliard Society for Miniature Painters. By the end of his career he had painted thousands of miniatures, of scenes mainly around the Wiltshire area. Robert Hughes was born in London in 1934 and died in Wiltshire in 2010.

PLEASE NOTE - Robert Hughes NEVER painted in watercolour. All his pictures were either painted in oil or gouache, with oil the preferred medium. Gouache was used instead of watercolour as it was a better medium to work with for miniatures. It was easier to manoeuvre, gave ‘body’ and covered other colours, so he could add details ie flowers in a hedge, after painting the main scene.
The oil paintings were painted on board and the gouache pictures were painted on 140-pound hot pressed (HP) paper.