Denise Hughes Is Painting the Town

Sustainability in creativity

As Ridgewood Shopping Center gets a fresh face-lift, one local creative is also decking it out with a brand-new work of art. Enter Charlotte-born, Raleigh-based Denise Hughes’ two towering oak tree silhouettes now “growing on the walls” beside Whole Foods and Drift—with a third set to sprout this fall.

An homage to the City of Oaks’ nickname and natural beauty, the brushstrokes also depict curious animals—think raccoons, birds, rabbits and dogs—as a “celebration of our shared roots, where nature and community intertwine,” says the artist, who worked alongside architects and in collaboration with studio mate artist Autumn Cobeland and photographer Simon Griffiths earlier this summer to breathe new life into the established spot.

“The shopping center has been a landmark in Raleigh for almost 75 years, long before the city’s major growth took place,” she adds, “so bringing the center ‘back to its roots’ was the sensible choice.”

And it’s not the first time Hughes has left her mark around town. Calling Raleigh her forever home for almost 30 years, the multidisciplinary artist specializes in murals, oil painting and even underwater swim painting—plus upcycled assemblages that put her passion of taking garbage to gallery at the forefront. “My love of art lies with sustainability,” she emphasizes.

After discovering a devastating video about microplastics in our oceans, the artist took it upon herself to draft a program, take it to schools and let the community in on her junk-to-genius effort. “In today’s throwaway culture, I feel it’s even more important to realize the effects on our planet and oceans,” asserts Hughes, “and to emphasize that all of us can do our part to keep it clean.”

One such green-minded piece, made entirely out of upcycled plastic, is a large-scale portrait of Dolly Parton—one of Hughes’ favorite musicians. Working, ahem, “9 to 5” during the pandemic, she fabricated the Dolly artwork from her kids’ old toys and a mountain of buttons. Although the music legend famously abstains from purchasing self-portraits, she made an exception for this one—Legos, Barbie limbs and all—which now hangs in the foyer of her Nashville mansion.

Proving that almost any item can be made into a vibrant work of art, Hughes continues to deliver her strokes of genius across Raleigh—and beyond. Color us impressed. denisehughes.com

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