Don Hamilton – 2020 Brinton 101

From an early age, Don loved to draw. He would spend hours watching his grandfather, a master stone cutter, work at his craft. Later Don would bring his drawings to his grandfather to be critiqued. It was not until he was
older that Don realized the lessons he was learning about design, layout, and just plain hard work. He also recognizes the strong work ethic instilled in him by his father, who taught Don the importance of commitment to excellence.
As a young adult, Don Hamilton studied privately with Joe Brand, a respected wildlife artist and instructor at the
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. During a 4 year period, Don focused exclusively on paintings of wildlife, learning structure, anatomy, and strong fundamentals in working with oils.
Don’s desire to work from life and to vary his subject matter led him to branch out into other areas and most importantly, to begin painting outside, “en plein air.” The exhilaration of standing face to face with the subject, challenged by the changing light, unpredictable weather, and the need to distill the scene down to its essence continue to be the motivation that drives him to venture out in all types of weather and to “capture the moment.”

“Although captivated and inspired by the grand vista, I am often more drawn to the intimate scenes, those that people often pass by every day with little thought. Simply put, I love to take those everyday experiences and make a statement that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Like the way snow covers a hillside or the patterns formed by a field irrigated by spring rains. Anything in my daily life is fair game and an ultimate subject. For me it is of paramount importance to capture the essence of emotion the subject conveys, not just a well-documented rendering of a scene, allowing me to communicate to the viewer in a more intimate way.” Don Hamilton