Pamela Hamilton
For me, art is like breathing,” says artist Pamela Hamilton. “It has always been in me, and just had to get out. As a toddler, I would stick my hands in my mom’s plants and use the dirt to paint the walls.” From this earthy beginning, she has blossomed into an award-winning pastel artist and teacher.
Hamilton attended Chicago’s School of the Art Institute, then later studied graphic design. She began her career in print and publishing, eventually becoming art director of Country Sampler Magazine. The twists and turns of her life and career shaped her perspective and technique, and in 2012 she made the leap-of-faith decision to pursue art full-time.
“My artistic practice is most often driven by an emotional connection to the subject—flowers grown with my own hands in my garden, the play of light and shadows on colorful fruit from the market, the sun and the way it reacts to the changing seasons—rich cobalt blue shadows in the snow, the emerging soft green buds on the trees as spring emerges, the deep shadows created by the hot sun in the summer landscape, and then the crimson and russet foliage on the autumn trees contrasting against the brilliant blue sky.” explains Hamilton.
While she enjoys painting the occasional oil and acrylic, she finds soft pastels more suited for her lifestyle. “Soft pastels are immediate and versatile. They are portable, tactile and rich in saturation. I love their buttery, paint-like quality.”
Hamilton has participated in more than 120 exhibits, including top-ranking fine art fairs, juried international competitions and solo exhibits. She has earned four Best in Show titles and numerous awards in other categories. Pamela is a Signature member of both the Pastel Society of America and the Chicago Pastel Painters, and an associate member of the American Impressionist Society, and American Women Artists.
She resides in the Chicago suburbs with her husband David, whom she credits for supporting her dream.
NOTEWORTHY
• Feature article in the August/September 2021 issue of International Artist Magazine
• Faculty Member of the 1st Annual Pastel Live-A Global Virtual Art Conference
• Private Label Instructor Set of Richeson Soft Pastels, “Pamela Hamilton Basics & Brights”, available at JudsonsArt.com