"I love a story with a happy ending devoid of hairy, brooding messages or dark, melancholy shadows. For me a painting is like a story which stimulates the imagination and draws the mind into a place filled with expectation, excitement, wonder, and pleasure. Words of the story are replaced by shapes, shadows, and color. The impact of the raw brilliance of New Mexico sunlight on the subject of the painting creates powerful shapes, variegated shadows and a joyous fragmentation of color. This is what I feel and try to express to the viewer." -Joan Hughston (3)
Joan Palmer Hughston was born in Dallas, Texas raised in New Orleans and spent the last 24 years of her life in Taos, New Mexico. The daughter of Frederic Niles Palmer, Jr., and Lorraine Gertrude Peterson. Joan possessed a gentle wit, a gracious generosity, and a deep devotion to her family.
Joan was born in Dallas in 1928. She attended Woodrow Wilson High School and went on to receive a Batchelor's Degree in fine arts from Southern Methodist University with honors in 1949 and continued to study at the Dallas art institute and Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. She Lived the last 24 years of her life in Taos. Joan Married Edward Wallace Hughston on June 3rd 1949 after the wedding the Hughston's moved to Austin, Texas for Ed's Postgraduate studies and from there they moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where they lived for 8 years. While in Corpus Christi the Hughston's had three son's Lane, Mark and Tommy.
From 1959 to 1979 the family lived in Dallas and in McKinney, Texas. In her McKinney years Joan and her family resided in the landmark Gough-Hughston house on West Louisiana Street. She had a deep interest in genealogy and local history, and was instrumental in setting up the Collin County Heritage Guild in 1973. It was in McKinney that her talent for the restoration of historic houses was recognized, where she was influential in plans for the renovation of important heritage sites in the Chestnut Square area, and in inaugurating the idea of the annual holiday season tour of historic McKinney houses.
Over the years she restored some nine historic houses and buildings in Texas and New Mexico. She brought to architectural restoration and design the same skills of visualization and attention to detail that are so striking in her paintings. In 1981 Joan and her husband Ed moved from northern Texas to a home in Taos. For the last twenty four years of her life Joan Hughston lived in Taos, New Mexico, where her career as an artist flourished. She was active in the Taos art community and in many local civic endeavors, and was on the Board of Trustees of the Millicent Rogers Museum. In her later years, Joan became known as one of the fine Taos oil painters, and as a successful teacher of oil painting. She evolved a number of distinctive styles, and is perhaps best appreciated for her impressionistic images of mountain scenery and Taos architecture.
After moving to Taos with her family the Hughston's built a magnificent garden with two adobe style arched doorways. The garden is filled with all kinds of different flora and Joan often talked about the all people that had lived there before. "When I come out here" she says "I think of all the people who have lived her before. I like sharing their garden." (1)
Joan's primary interest was in traditional oil painting; however, she enjoyed the teaching of children’s classes in watercolor, pastels, medical art, and the illustration of books with pen and ink drawings. Results of her second love, architectural restoration of historic buildings and homes in Texas and New Mexico, have been featured in national publications. Her paintings are shown in The Gallery in Santa Fe and Burke Armstrong Fine Art in Taos. (2)
D.O.B- Joan Palmer Hughston was born in Dallas, Texas on February 18, 1928
D.O.D- Joan Palmer Hughston passed away in Taos, New Mexico on July 18, 2003
Nationality-
American
Education-
Joan graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and then Southern Methodist University in 1949 with honors and a degree in fine arts.
What she was known for-
Joan Palmer Hughston was known for her art as well as being a historic building restorer and a teacher teaching oil painting.
Spouse-
Joan married Edward Wallace Hughston on June 3, 1949.
Children-
Joan has three children: Her son Lane P. Hughston of London, England her son Mark D. Hughston of Dallas, Texas and her son Thomas F. Hughston of Taos, New Mexico (Deceased).
Early life- Painting of adobe entrance in Taos
As the daughter of Frederic Niles Palmer, Jr., architect and draftsman, and Lorraine Gertrude Peterson. Joan's father's search for work during the Depression took her family to New Orleans. It was there that she first studied art, at the New Orleans Arts and Crafts School. She loved New Orleans, and despite a year-long case of malaria at one point, of this period of her life she said, "My childhood growing up in New Orleans could not have been happier." Thus it was that when she was fourteen Joan Lorraine Palmer and her family returned to Dallas, where she graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School.
Career-
Mountain painting
Joan was an oil based painter as well as an historic building restorer, and even taught oil panting to her students.
Paintings, Restorations and Teachings-
Joan teaching a painting workshop
It was in McKinney TX, that her talent for the restoration of historic homes was recognized, where she was influential in plans for the renovation of important heritage sites in the Chestnut Square area, and in inaugurating the idea of the annual Christmas season tour of historic McKinney homes. Her primary interest was in traditional oil painting; however, she enjoyed the teaching of children’s classes in watercolor, the study of medical art, and the illustration of books with pen and ink drawings. She evolved a number of distinctive art styles, but is perhaps best appreciated for her still life paintings and for her impressionistic images of water and mountain scenery as well as Taos architecture. Joan was also actively engaged in the renovation of historic adobe buildings in the Taos area.
Personal Life and death-
people talking
Joan's father's search for work in the Depression years took Joan's family to New Orleans when she was three years old. It was there that she first studied art, at the New Orleans Arts and Crafts School. Her father Fred came to the view that New Orleans at the time was not a suitable city for a young woman to come of age. Thus it was that when she was fourteen Joan Lorraine Palmer and her family returned to Dallas, where she graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. A few weeks after the end of the Second World War, she entered Southern Methodist University, graduating with honors in 1949 with a degree in fine arts.
At SMU, Joan was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, she studied sculpture, commercial art, medical illustration, ceramics, lithography, jewelry design, watercolor, and oil painting. She married Edward Wallace Hughston on June 3, 1949. After marriage Joan moved to Austin for her husbands postgraduate studies, and from there they moved to Corpus Christi for eight years, where her three sons were born. From 1959 to 1979 the family lived in Dallas and in McKinney. She was a member of the Junior League and the Dallas Women's Club. In her McKinney years Joan and her family resided in the landmark Gough-Hughston house on W. Louisiana Street. She had a deep interest in genealogy and local history, and was instrumental in setting up the Collin County Heritage Guild in 1973.
For the last 24 years of her life Joan Hughston lived in Taos, New Mexico, where her career as an artist flourished. She was active in the Taos art community and in many local civic endeavors, and was on the Board of Trustees of the Millicent Rogers Museum. In her later years Joan became known as one of the fine Taos oil painters, and as a successful teacher of oil painting. She evolved a number of distinctive styles, but is perhaps best appreciated for her still life paintings and for her impressionistic images of water and mountain scenery and of Taos's architecture.
Joan was also actively engaged in the renovation of historic adobe buildings in the Taos area, beginning in the early 1980s with the restoration of the home of the early Taos artist Andrew Dasburg. She brought to architectural design the same skills of visualization and attention to detail that are so striking in her paintings. In her final months, she worked enthusiastically on plans for what turned out to be her last project, the restoration of the Howell-Bradley house in McKinney, originally built in 1861 by her husband's great-great grandfather Daniel Howell. (4)
Legacy- Joan Hughston
Joan is remembered for her gentle wit, her gracious generosity, her deep devotion to her family and many friends, and as an outstanding member of the communities to which she belonged. She is survived by her son Lane P. Hughston of London, England, her son Mark D. Hughston of Dallas (married to Marla W. Hughston), and her grandchildren Katherine E. Hughston and Christopher J. P. Hughston both of Dallas, Texas. (5)
References
(1) <ref>Scott, A. C. (1995, May). Taos in Bloom. New Mexico Taos Gardens Bloom, 45-46.<ref>
(2) <ref>July. (1989). In Taos Calendar of Artists 1989 (pp. 59-60). Taos, NM: Stuart Ashby Hardy Publications.<ref>
(3) <ref>February. (1991). In Taos 1992 A Calendar of Northern New Mexico Art (pp. 16-17). Taos, NM: Columbine Publications.<ref>
(4) <ref>Laton, D. (2017, October). Joan Hughston Artist (1152446304 866318809 J. Romero, Ed.). Retrieved January 14, 2021, from http://www.joanhughstonartist.com/<ref>
(5) <ref>Joan Palmer Hughston Obituary. (2003, July 25). Retrieved January 14, 2021, from http://www.dallasmorningnews.com<ref>