Creative Person Overview - Brett Hughes

 

I'd like to share with you all another family member of mine, who is another very talented creative type (I happen to have a lot of those in my family), my Uncle, Brett Hughes. 

Brett is laid back, with a wicked sense of humour, and an inspiring outlook on life. He is also what I would refer to as somewhat of a 'nomad'. Having spent many years traveling, hitchhiking and busking around Australia, picking up odd jobs along the way, he never stayed in one place for too long. He's had over 60 different jobs; From radio host on numerous stations, to fruit picking, shoe making, even a stint as a 'Pickled Gherkin Tank Scraper' - Which he describes as 'a job so bad, that all he could do was laugh'. He now currently resides by himself in a little 1800s cottage, surrounded by forest in the gold fields, central Victoria.

He is a guitarist/singer/songwriter with a style that I can only describe as folk, pop-rock. Currently in a band called How Much For Cash, his music style is laid-back and has an air of Australian outback/country and often just a hint of melancholy. He also happens to be one of those rare, freakishly musically talented people who is able tune solely by ear (Actually I happen to have a few of those freaks in my family) It's just unnatural...  

He loves going to opp-shops and antique stores and rummaging through discarded and forgotten items. He is very good at picking items of value and has an amazing eye for interesting pieces, so much so that he works at an antique and collectibles store.

He is also an artist of sorts, creating what he calls agricultural industrial art; Fondly nicknamed Agri-dustrial art. Using a collection of  random old metal parts he has uncovered at the tip, old farm houses or found in paddocks using a metal detector, he creates amazing rustic metal sculptures. He really gives new meaning to 'One mans junk, is another mans treasure'. Anything from old parts from tractors, trains, sewing machines, to old gas top handles, even shells from WW2 have been used to create his pieces.

Like Brett, and like his music, his art evokes a laid back feeling of the country, outback and solitude, and is distinctively Australian. It is an appreciation of that others have over looked, and a tribute to a time forgotten. His creations, although often miss matched, overall, have a sense of harmony, and raw beauty. Not to mention that his work is eco-friendly.

Brett is not the most 'tech-savvy' of people, and is yet to set up a website where his work can be viewed and purchased. He doesn't even have an email, or even a computer! (How he manages without the Internet, I will never understand...) However, if you are interested in his work, you can contact him through me here.

You can also check out Brett on his son (my cousin) Cody's You Tube channel: CodyDaviesTV, where he did a short interview with him on one of his pieces. It's worth a watch if not just for a laugh - Brett was completely unprepared and is a little stuck for words at times.
Although, fore warning: You may hear some of the information in this post repeated in the interview, as I may or may not have stolen most of the details from it....