Hamilton was featured on PBS’s Broad and High show. This video includes a demo of her process.
Artist Statement and Portfolio
I express my reaction to current events through art. Some stories take my breath away, weighing heavily on my mind for days or weeks. As a mixed media artist, I use wide range of materials to make paintings and installation pieces. Creating of art that evokes my experience with an event is cathartic for me. I often connect with people through my artwork—that’s the best part about being an artist.
-Julia Hamilton
Dave Matthews Band #41
2022, 24 x 24 Inches; Medium: Alcohol ink, fire, acrylics, pastels, and felt pen.
Muse: These are the colors I see when I listen to #41 by Dave Matthews Band.
Winds of Change
2022, 26 x 26 Inches; Medium: Alcohol ink, fire, acrylics, pastels, and pencil.
Muse: In 2020, we voted for change, hoping for a brighter future.
400,000 Souls
2022, 48 x 108 Inches (triptych). Medium: Alcohol ink and acrylic pen.
Muse: I drew 400,000 white dots to honor those who died from Covid-19 in 2020.
Born to Be Wild
2017; Alcohol Ink, Fire, and Felt Pen; 16 x 20 Inches
Muse: My synesthetic interpretation of Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
The Sound of Silence
2017; Alcohol Ink, Fire, Pencil, and Oil Pastels
36 x 36 Inches
Muse: Inspired by The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.
This piece is part of my "In Loving Color" collection, which will be featured at the Franklin Park Conservatory during their 2018 Orchids exhibit.
McKinley Murmuration
2017; Medium: Mixed Media: Alcohol Ink, Fire, Oil Pastels, & Pen; Size: 36 x 36 Inches
Muse: A murmuration of starlings graces a grungy part of town.
Honors:
• An enlarged mural of piece is installed at the corner of High and Starr in the Short North district of Columbus, Ohio. It is part of the 2017 Short North Temporary Mural exhibit, sponsored by Sean Christopher Gallery. Click here for a map of the murals.
Madness
2017; Medium: Mixed Media: Alcohol Ink, Fire, Oil Pastels, & Pen; Size: 36 x 36 Inches
Muse: This is my interpretation of the colors and shapes I see when I listen to the song "Madness" by Muse.
This piece is part of my "In Loving Color" collection, which will be featured at the Franklin Park Conservatory during their 2018 Orchids exhibit.
Honors:
• Accepted in the 2017 Ohio State Fair, Professional Division
Bittersweet Symphony
2016; Medium: Mixed Media: Alcohol Ink, Fire, Oil Pastels, & Pen; Size: 24 x 24 Inches
Muse: This is my interpretation of the colors and shapes I see when I listen to "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve.
This piece is part of my "In Loving Color" collection, which will be featured at the Franklin Park Conservatory during their 2018 Orchids exhibit.
Volcano Nouveau
2016; Medium: Alcohol Ink, Fire, Felt Pen, & Oil Pastels; Size: 12 x12 Inches
Muse: One of Earth's reminders that we are guests on her surface.
Honors:
• Awarded 2nd place in Fusion Art's 2nd Annual Artist's Choice Online Exhibit, 2016.
Zydeco
2015; Medium: Alcohol Ink, Fire, and Felt Pen Drawing; Size: 30 x 30 Inches
Muse: When I listen to music, I see colors and moving shapes. I was listening to zydeco music on the radio one day, and I decided I needed to capture the image.
Honors:
• Included in 2016 Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit, Professional Division 2016 in Columbus, Ohio
The Invention of Sky
2015; Medium: Alcohol Ink, Fire, Watercolors, and Pastels; Size: 6 x 6 Inches
Muse: Before the invention of sky there was no blue.
Honors: Included in “Elements” exhibit (by invitation) at Schumacher Gallery, Columbus Ohio, 2016
Transition
2015; Medium: Felt Pen Drawing and Alcohol Ink Painting; Size: 30 x 30 Inches
Muse: The universe is expanding, but for how long? Astronomers predict that we may enter a contraction phase in the distant future. This image depicts this spectacular phase transition.
Honors:
• Included in juried exhibit titled “In Transformation” at Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio, 2017
Inner Strength
2015; Medium: Felt Pen; Size: 36 x 24
Muse: It is our inner strength that allows us to defy the weight of the world.
Honors: Included in Ohio Governor's Office and Residence Artwork Loan Program 2017-2018
Origin
2015; Medium: Felt Pen Drawing; Size: 30 x 30 Inches
Muse: This is the beginning, the first light that started everything.
Legacy
2014; Medium: Felt Pen Drawing; Size: 30 x 30 Inches
Muse: I created this piece because I was recently reminded of how powerful one's legacy can be. A promising young life is headed for greatness as a result of a tragedy in the distant past.
Honors:
• Included in juried competition, “New Directions 2014” at The Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. Juror was Lynne Warren, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, IL.
• Included in 2016 Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit, Professional Division 2016 in Columbus, Ohio
Awakening
2014; Medium: Felt Pen Drawing; Size: 24 X 24 Inches
Muse: I created this piece because I wanted to capture those brief seconds between being asleep and being fully awake, the mingling of consciousness and dreams, and the precarious nature of the memory of a dream.
Honors:
• Received honorable mention in Exhibeo “Renewal” Competition 2015
• Included in “Elements” exhibit (by invitation) at Schumacher Gallery, Columbus Ohio, 2016
New Waters
2014; Medium: Digital, drawn with finger on iPad®; Size: 28 x 28 Inches @ 300 DPI;
Muse: I created this piece because I wanted to capture the mesmerizing experience of watching new waters flowing to shore, the ancient rhythm of the sea. To quote Heraclitus (535 BC - 475 BC), "You can never step twice in the same stream, for new waters are ever flowing in upon you." It seems incredible that someone who lived so long ago could say something that resonates with people today.
Where the Woodbine Twineth
2013; Medium: Felt Pen Drawing; Size: 24 x 24 Inches
Muse: When something is hopelessly lost, it has gone “where the woodbine twineth." Whatever it is that you're looking for, perhaps you'll find it hiding in this piece.
Honors:
• Included in Ohio Governor's Office and Residence Artwork Loan Program 2017-2018
• Included in “Elements” exhibit (by invitation) at Schumacher Gallery, Columbus Ohio, 2016
• Included in 2015 Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit, Professional Division in Columbus, OH
• Included in 2015 Ohio Art League Spring Juried Exhibition at the Schnormeier Gallery at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio. Juror: Richard Petry, Director of Graduate Studies at CCAD.
Quantum Flux
2012; Medium: Felt Pen Drawing; Size: 30 x 30 Inches
Muse: Within a tiny sliver of time (10^-43 seconds) after the big bang, the universe was born. The technical term for the creation of something from nothing is "Quantum Fluctuation." I created this piece because I wanted to try to visualize this incredible phenomenon.
Honors:
• Included in “2015 Annual Arts in Harmony” International Juried Art Show in Elk River, MN; awarded third place in drawing competition.