Don Hamm
<< Back to Our Artists Page
View Artist’s Work Online >>
Each year I paint a self portrait on or around February 2nd (my birthday) to record a bench mark in my evolution as painter. While there are variations each year, they’re basically consistent and are clearly Don Hamm.
Like every artist, I’m a tactile and visual explorer, mostly in love with the experience of making marks.
For a number of years the figurative work pursued the theme “Evidence of Lives Lived”. The strongest element of each painting was an ordinary person or persons ‘reanimated’ from their image in very old B&W photographs (usually first half, 20th century). Each painting an attempt at presenting the universal experience in each instant of any life lived.
My landscape work is focussed on areas I find near and dear such as the parkland near our cabin, the northern forest and the foothills region at our home in High River.
I spend a lot of time in the outdoors.
I also explore the use of found objects to create art, primarily (currently) old metal.
I studied art at the University of Saskatchewan in the 70’s where I graduated with an art major and continued studies to eventually complete all course work required for a Masters degree in Art Education.
I worked in clay, printmaking, photography and film/televisioin. For the past 20 years, I have worked full time in the arts.
I spent a number of years making ‘high end’ decorated furniture using copper, exotic hardwoods and techniques such as carving and painting. Since 2000, I have focused exclusively on oil painting.
The Hamm studio is in High River, AB. My work is in collections throughout Canada and the USA.