Brian Hamill:  Life Lot

Ladies and gentlemen:  here is my favorite (favorite!!!) piece in all that I have seen of ArtOMatic.  I’ve been through all the floors, some of them several times – and I’ll admit that every time through I see something new.  But I saw this painting the first time through on 4 NW and it was the first piece I took my Husband to see when he joined me last Sunday night for the artists’ social.  He liked it too.  We both have a tendency toward the dark and mystical in what we like, although he tends more to realism and I toward somewhat (but not completely, I like something referential) abstract (and I use that term loosely).  This work makes us both very happy.  I want this piece for my wall as I can get lost in it, and we are hopeful that Brian wants to sell it (Brian:  did you get my email?!).  Since my walls are full, it will require some switching around – okay, a lot of switching around – of art that is already hung.  But the piece sings to me.  Can’t quite make out the words yet, but I can hear it calling.

So of course I had to interview Brian, who was kind enough to respond.  Here is his interview along with more of his work.

Brian, I love the mood of your paintings – can you tell us a little more about  the stories behind them – especially "untitled" [which is now titled:  Life Lot, above].  You noted that it was a different tact for you when we chatted.

For whatever reason, my ideas for paintings usually consisted mainly of a figure, with a fairly nondescript background.  I’m something of a poor planner, so I would start a painting when I had a figure in mind, and the background was often dealt with as an afterthought [Seed Keep].

With Life Lot I decided to invest much more in the environment for the figure.  I remembered my very brief lesson on perspective from high school and started having fun creating a three-dimensional space for the figure, then matching the lighting situation to that of a vintage photograph that the main figure was inspired by.

It’s harder for me to talk about an intentional story in a painting – though I do hope to include story elements in my paintings.  The idea is to let things happen, to be unguarded, and not analyze too much.  I always listen to music while I paint to distract the analytical side of my mind and open up the possibilities.  i want to be honest about what’s inside and not worry about the audience.

Some of my work on display at ArtOMatic was part of my MFA thesis – and that was a bit more focused, with the intent of portraying a post-civilization earth, in which people would be forced to eke out a living directly, without all of the luxuries and buffers from reality that most of us here embrace.  That theme represents the first coherent thread in my work, and it came about because my professors wanted me to talk about something! [Pipeline to the left]

Is this your first ArtOMatic?  What do you think about it?

I participated in 2002 for the first time, and not since, until now.  I like that ArtOMatic is not screened and that what you get is a representation of the people in the area who consider themselves artists.  I think there are surprising differences of approach, as well as marked similarities of work (that are perhaps less surprising), but in the end, people have put something personal up for inspection.  It makes a statement about one’s personal culture, and that we can still make things by hand, which could be a behavior on decline.

Do you show your work anywhere else?

Unfortunately, I am not good at marketing, and have not really pursued representation by a gallery.  So the answer is no. [Point of Reverence to the right] (See Brian’s website here.)

[Shameless promotion:  stay tuned and see my interview with Alyson Stanfield on May 23. Brian’s comment on marketing is a great segue since Alyson’s new book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio, is a great handbook for all of us who need to learn how to market ourselves).

How long have you been painting?

It seems like a short time, but I started when I was 28, and I’m 37 now.[Singer to the left]

I see on your website that you also do photography – do you find one art informs the other, or is one more of a hobby?

I generally use photography in a utilitarian sense – I rely on some photo imagery to bring into my paintings, and then I take pictures of the finished work.  I’m very excited about fashioning a reality that doesn’t exist, moreso than documenting what I see in front of me.

Do you have any favorite artists that you find influence your work?  If yes, who?  If no, where do you get the ideas for your pieces?

Zdzislaw Beksinski is easily my favorite, and I am sad that he was murdered in 2005.  I also enjoy Odd Nerdrum, Vermeer, Andrew Wyeth, Remedios Varo, Bosch, Bruegel, and at least half of the artists in any book on the Symbolists. [note:  I learned at Wikipedia that Frieda Kahlo is considered a Symbolist as is August Rodin in sculpture.  Here’s a snippet:  "The Symbolist painters mined mythology and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul, seeking evocative paintings that brought to mind a static world of silence…"   – I could have typed in the whole thing right here.  This interview turned into a private art lesssn for me!]

Have you had a chance to look around ArtOMatic and find any favorites there?

It’s all a blur!  There’s definitely some very good work – I am always impressed by the work ethic of the sculptors – there’s no way to fake or halfass 3D work.  I am the worst at remembering names, as any art teacher I’ve had will tell you.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your art?

I would rather tell other artists:  always follow your instincts, and ignore people who tell you that the imagery you are attracted to or portray in your work are somehow "wrong" or irrelevant in some objective way.  Don’t let yourself be brainwashed! [Moment to the right]

**

After interviewing Brian it comes as no surprise to me that Husband and I are so attracted to his work:  his spirit matches  our own take on what we call "art."  Thanks, Brian (and did you get my email?!!!)

thought for the day:  If you find setting goals to be difficult, don’t think you’re alone.  Because you’re self-employed, it is likely that no one ever asked you to set goals.  you’re too busy making and marketing your art to think about goals.  Yet, setting and attaining goals are crucial to any career success…[start with] Visualize your future – What does success mean to you?   Alyson B. Stanfield, I’d rather be in the studio:  The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.

Choice Day by Brian Hamill