Featured artist
Steve Hamlin
Massachusetts, USA
Specialty Categories
Painting - Wildlife - Watercolor
Mt. Oberlin Mountain Goats, 22"x30"
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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 11"x15"
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Raven Study, 11"x15"
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Drawing - Wildlife
Lookout - Burrowing Owl, 13.5"x19"
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Screech Owl Study, 9"x12"
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Swainson's Thrush with Berry, 11"x14"
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Artist Statement/Bio
My painting career began when I took an adult watercolor class at the age of fourteen in the summer of 1969 - the same summer as the first moon landing. My grandmother bought me all the materials required for the class. Without her support and encouragement, I might never have become a painter.
I painted quite a lot as a teenager, then not at all for a number of years. Around 1980, I began painting again, developing a fairly substantial body of work over the next couple of years, much of which was purchased by collectors. Within a few years, newly married with a new home and financial responsibilities, painting time was squeezed out.
In 2007, more mature and established in my life, I found I missed the creative outlet that painting had previously provided me. I pulled out my old easel, my brushes (some of which I've had since I took my first watercolor class, many years ago), and my paints and paper. I have painted steadily since.I have been fortunate to be able to make my living in creative pursuits throughout my life. But, most of my creativity has been channeled into realizing other people’s visions. Having reawakened the painter in me, I have committed myself to a pursuit of my own vision.
My subject matter reflects three life-long passions: nature, history, and architecture. I have lived most of my life in New England, and I derive tremendous satisfaction from capturing images of my home region and from the travel that my wife, Linda and I enjoy doing together. In our daily lives, as well as our travels, Linda and I strive to capture the beauty and wonder that surrounds us, she as a photographer, and I through my paintings.
I paint strictly in watercolor, in a style that lies somewhere between impressionistic and photo-realistic. I aim for an accurate representation of my subject, building each painting on a foundation of careful draftsmanship. I develop my paintings with a steady succession of washes, bold brush work and glazes, followed by more precise calligraphic strokes, while allowing my medium the freedom to impart its own vibrant flavor to the work. I love the transparency and immediacy of watercolors and celebrate the happy accidents of the medium, as well as its challenges.
My painting career began when I took an adult watercolor class at the age of fourteen in the summer of 1969 - the same summer as the first moon landing. My grandmother bought me all the materials required for the class. Without her support and encouragement, I might never have become a painter.
I painted quite a lot as a teenager, then not at all for a number of years. Around 1980, I began painting again, developing a fairly substantial body of work over the next couple of years, much of which was purchased by collectors. Within a few years, newly married with a new home and financial responsibilities, painting time was squeezed out.
In 2007, more mature and established in my life, I found I missed the creative outlet that painting had previously provided me. I pulled out my old easel, my brushes (some of which I've had since I took my first watercolor class, many years ago), and my paints and paper. I have painted steadily since.I have been fortunate to be able to make my living in creative pursuits throughout my life. But, most of my creativity has been channeled into realizing other people’s visions. Having reawakened the painter in me, I have committed myself to a pursuit of my own vision.
My subject matter reflects three life-long passions: nature, history, and architecture. I have lived most of my life in New England, and I derive tremendous satisfaction from capturing images of my home region and from the travel that my wife, Linda and I enjoy doing together. In our daily lives, as well as our travels, Linda and I strive to capture the beauty and wonder that surrounds us, she as a photographer, and I through my paintings.
I paint strictly in watercolor, in a style that lies somewhere between impressionistic and photo-realistic. I aim for an accurate representation of my subject, building each painting on a foundation of careful draftsmanship. I develop my paintings with a steady succession of washes, bold brush work and glazes, followed by more precise calligraphic strokes, while allowing my medium the freedom to impart its own vibrant flavor to the work. I love the transparency and immediacy of watercolors and celebrate the happy accidents of the medium, as well as its challenges.
