Jennifer Kirk Hamilton
born 1950 in California
Lives and works in Rock Hill SC
Abstract dog painter Jennifer Kirk Hamilton lives and works in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She has been a professional artist since 1976 and maintains her art studio at the Center for the Arts on Main St. Jennifer began her art carrier working primarily with watercolor and explored a variety of subjects, including landscapes, florals, and figures in the landscape. In 2001 she found her signature style when she began painting her two dogs walking in the park. Jennifer is known for her lively bright, and abstracted colorful paintings in oil and acrylic. She has won numerous awards in the state including Best in Show 2008 SCWS Annual Exhibition. In 2016 she returned to Winthrop University to pursue her BFA degree with a concentration in Sculpture.
About the Art
Some say I paint dogs walking away, in short, dog behinds. But it is not that simple.
My dog series has spanned several decades and outlived the animals that inspired it. As I followed my muses around the small park day after day for the first few years, I was interested in capturing what I saw on the surface, in essence depicting my two dogs taking a walk. As the years and paintings continued, my work evolved into more abstract, expressionistic, and introspective versions. I learned that color could convey a wealth of information and emotion when combined with vigorous directed brush strokes. I found myself manipulating each stroke as deliberate as a step.
This series is an in-depth study that has spanned more than a decade of my exploration into the mechanics of a morning walk.Sometimes when you look at something the true nature does not become apparent until you have given it time to become part of your every day life. We cease to see what is right before us because we think we know what we see everyday. What I learned from this series is that objects and places hold more than just a physical existence. We stamp everyday objects and places with our memories, memories that come from a daily experience. As I work those memories translate as colors as lines as a feeling of movement. There is no real object in our daily life that does not carry with it the stamp of reminiscence. As I progressed with this series that I realized I was not painting two dogs walking but I was painting a broader idea. I found could paint my sentiments in such a way that what I saw and experienced on a daily basis could be conveyed to a viewer. When people look at my work a lot of them see their own dogs and recall their own experiences. With this in mind, you become part of the work. I invite you to take the journey with my two dogs and me and to allow yourself into these paintings.
