“Art has always dominated the direction of my life. I remember when I was very young, I would go to my grandmother’s and paint little watercolors with her as she painted. Even then, I remember learning the importance of seeing. This has just continued through my life and has helped me learn and grow. It has filtered the way that I view my surroundings. I no longer ignore the beauty of the landscape; It isn’t just dirt and trees and sky, but a compound of colors and values and shapes.”

Jeff graduated from the University of Utah in 2004 with a Degree in Painting and Drawing and has been able to pursue this career full time. Since graduation, Pugh has gained a collector base and gallery representation in the American West. He has been able to take advantage of opportunities to study with John Erickson and Gary E. Smith, both of which have helped diversify and enrich his work.

“I love the idea of ‘filters and abstractions’. It has been the catalyst for my work from the start. A filter is any sort of separation from the source of the painting. That could be from painting en plein air (which would be one degree of separation) to photographing a site, manipulating it on the computer and printing it off on a napkin (at least three degrees of separation). Depending on how far removed you are from the source material will definitely influence how abstracted the work will become. We all have our own techniques and approaches that will abstract the final piece and we could abstract without the aid of filters, but having this understanding enhances the process.”

“My work continues to evolve,” notes Pugh. "It has to if I want to be an artist of any caliber. It has gone from a realistic representation to an abstraction of the inherent designs found in nature. I have found that by carefully choosing the filters I use, I am able to enhance those designs and push those abstractions even further."

Jeff currently lives in Millcreek, Utah with his wife Julia and two children Remlee and Benton.