Today we’d like to introduce you to Eddie Hamilton.
Hi Eddie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Southern California and remember being outside as a kid and constantly playing and running around. I recall the feel of the hot sun, the landscape’s bright colors, and the smell of the saltwater and dessert coming together. I grew up in a family of five kids and am smack in the middle. I learned early on to block things out among that chaos. Block out noise, block out arguments, and block out people. My parents were wonderful, supportive, and so caring. I was, and still am, really good at ignoring things that aren’t of interest to me. This escape is really what I’ve always been doing with my art. I’m locking things out and just enjoying the calm. That’s what I need. So, when I was 6 or so, we moved to North Dakota and then drove to Minnesota quickly. Four houses in four years, or something like that. One of the reasons I like to be in one spot? I like feeling grounded where I am; I want to feel at home.
The problem with being part of a more prominent family was that I like to be alone, quiet, and do what I want to do. I spent a lot of time alone in my room, drawing, drawing, drawing. I filled any piece of paper or surface I could find. In high school, I had a fantastic art teacher, Mr. Clrecx. He encouraged, challenged, and gave me a quiet, safe spot to escape and make art. It’s just what I needed. I had room to explore and create art in High School and fell in love with it. I started off drawing pictures from photos in magazines. Mostly sports figures. My art teacher challenged me one day; he said, “What else can you do?” It was the best thing when I heard that; it opened up the possibilities. I just wanted to create and express feelings and emotions. I used bold marks and bold brush strokes. I painted large paintings, was messy, and had a fantastic time. So, I got in a college I took art classes, and that was interesting and eventually came a graphic designer, and that was interesting. It came easy to me. I liked the art history classes more than the studio art classes. I knew what I would make like but was interested in the stories of the artists of the past.
Graphic design wasn’t what I wanted to do forever; it wasn’t a passion of mine, that’s for sure. I kept coming back to the idea that one of the most essential things in life was to treat people decently and give people an opportunity. What I hated the most growing up in schools was the bullies and the people who treated people poorly. I did not like it when other kids did that. It hurt me to the point where I remember specific things kids did to others in high school and middle school (tease, mock, ridicule, judge, etc.).
I always had a lot of energy in my art. I worked fast and wasn’t so concerned with how exact I was, but I just wanted to get it done and get my ideas down. My work used bold colors with thick brush strokes. I tried to paint like I hadn’t seen others painting; it was a place where I could do something completely unexpected. My paintings were of loud and active cities with many faces and active people full of energy. In these scenes, a character kept appearing – usually, it was a figure with a cape. My figures are stick figures or a Keith Harring kind of figure. This cape figure was my unsung hero, my do-gooder, my person making a difference in the world. Eventually, I decided to change careers from graphic design to becoming a special education teacher, one of the best decisions ever made. I love working as a special education teacher. I got to work and help kids with different learning abilities and needs. It’s a fantastic thing to do. So, while I was teaching, it took a lot of energy and focus. This isn’t something you can do on the fly; this teaching thing is like a lifestyle if I want to be good at it. Being a strong father of three young kids is also a lifestyle; something had to change.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m very reflective and thought I should look at myself. What can I do differently? What am I missing? That’s why I got the idea to stop drinking alcohol. Be healthy, eat healthily, get a good night’s sleep, and take care of my seriously. So, I went through that process like OK, I’m going to, I’m going to live healthier. I’m going to stop drinking alcohol so I have energy for the kids at school and, most importantly, my kids at home. This was a transformation in my mindset and my outlook on life. But, back to the art. Naturally, as somebody who paints all the time, these images will change too, but what will happen? I remember when I was a kid, I needed to find a quiet place and ignore it. That’s what I’m doing now, but instead of painting the chaos and energy that I grew up with and was around now, I was painting the calm, quiet, and mundane parts. Another interesting thing that happened when I quit drinking alcohol was, well, I didn’t care as much what others thought. I was probably trying to be someone I wasn’t to hide the alcohol use before. If I were a good person, a teacher, and a fun artist, people wouldn’t care if I drank alcohol. Well, that is when my paintings shifted; I wanted to paint moody little landscapes and explore new ways to paint for myself. Painting is like my therapy; it is my mindfulness practice. When I paint, I get lost in the brush strokes; my mind is clear, and I’m myself.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to be more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My paintings now are of simple landscape parts, not necessarily popular places, but the moody spaces in between. But I want to keep some of the bold energy I have always had in my artwork: strong brush strokes, heavy emotion, and active light. The simple things at school with the students I work with daily teach you something new. Little things come out of the blue, like when one kid doesn’t want to do schoolwork anymore. I love helping kids through that and figuring out what is going on. The next day, a student says thank you for something; it’s just little things every day. I’m not searching for the big stuff; I’m so amazed at the little things that happen daily. My eight-year-old son wakes up and says good morning, mama. Good morning, Da da, that amazes me. I hear it all the time in my head.
My art is inspired by how the landscape has changed to river flow. No, it’s different to be on a lake next to a lake. It’s a whole other experience. It’s a whole other world. We got a boat recently, and we spend much more time in the lakes from the middle of the lake than on the shore now. If you like a lake view from the shore, you will adore and love being on a boat in the middle of the lake, and that’s all that is amazing. That is what quitting drinking alcohol is like, too – it’s like getting offshore and going out on the lake and getting the whole experience and the full view of this world. I want to share these feelings with my art, that there are amazing things all around, but not always big things. It’s amazing to eat healthy food every day. It’s amazing to go to a job every day where you’re just amazed by all the kids I’m around; it’s amazing to have cool kids at home and a warm, caring family. I’m really in awe of it all.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My high school art teacher, Merl Clercx, was excellent. He created a peaceful place to make art and escape. He also encouraged and pushed me forward as an artist and as a person. Family has always encouraged me and given me space and time. I’ve been allowed to make such huge messes around the house. There have been many others along the way. My first show in a gallery was with Outsiders and Others in Minneapolis with Yuri Arajs. He helped me so much by showing me how to present and show artwork. I have many collectors now, and it is humbling to hear from them as they talk about me and my art. I listen to stories of collectors’ conversations with friends and families about my art. People share how my art has become their favorite conversation piece in the house.
Pricing:
- Most of my paintings range in price from $200 to $3000.
- Paintings can be purchased through eddiehamiltonart.com, studio visits, or email or phone inquiries
- Prints of some paintings are available on eddiehamiltonart.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eddiehamiltonart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eddiehamiltonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EddieHamiltonArt
