First Thursday Opening Wine Reception
Thursday, October 4, 6-9 PM
Music by Bret Malmquist and Tommer Gonser
Exhibit Through October 27, 2012
Earl Hamilton's painting style has developed over a lifetime. Born in Japan, Earl spent most of his childhood living in a small cabin in the Rodgers Mountain area outside the town of Scio, Oregon in the Willamette Valley with his parents Satsuko and George Hamilton, both successful artists. The family lived self-sufficiently on their secluded homestead, painting together while offering Earl direction on technique and design. Thus, from an early age, Earl was influenced to enter the art world. Living a frugal lifestyle, hauling water, milking goats, collecting eggs from their chickens and minus TV and radio, he was encouraged to read, study and discuss all forms of art. Earl learned self-sufficiency and a desire to follow his own artistic instincts. He now lives with his wife, Michelle in Lebanon, another small Oregon town, where he works on his paintings every day and usually most of the night.
Earl studied art in high school where he won a Scholastic Gold Key award for the State of Oregon and a National Gold Medal Scholastic Award for a competition in New York City. He won an art scholarship while studying art at Oregon State University. In 1980, Earl won the Grumbacker Award for the Northwest Watercolor Society, and in 1981 the First Place Sweepstake Award for the Watercolor Society of Oregon.
Some of Earl's paintigs are filled with a kind of whimsical lightness reflected in many images such as castles, clowns children, animals and lovers very Chagall like. He layers acrylic and uses collage materials in many of his abstract works. Earl's paintings whether abstract or whimsical could be called meditative, mystical, contemplative, energetic, bold and confident.
Please view new works by Earl Hamilton, on his page on our website: www.atticgallery.com