Artist Statement | Email

Untitled, 40 x 40 in., acrylic on canvas, 2005

Untitled, 30 x 40 in., acrylic on canvas, 2004

Untitled, 48 x 36 in., acrylic on canvas, 2002

Mike Hamilton is an intriguing artist. The elements and forms in his paintings are direct, immediately perceivable and situate exactly on the surface. At the same time, they are alert, tensioned and reactive spatially. And the space itself is inflected with a seeming pulsation even as it appears flat on the canvas. Similarly the forms can be formally abstract approaching a semblance of architecture and yet imbued with near organic vitality.

This is to say that the work is endowed with levels of meaning and implication even as it presents itself as a harmonious interacting field. This is no small achievement. Mr. Hamilton’s paintings are structurally striking, formal yet informal and imbued with an allusive poetry. His colors can be highly emotive, boldly decorative, and quite acidic. There are paradoxes here that are rigorously controlled and yet granted freedom.

Leon Golub, October 2, 2001

E-mail: Mike Hamilton [Email address: micdenham #AT# yahoo.com - replace #AT# with @ ]
Artist Website:www.mikehamiltonpaintings.com