Don Hamilton

Mesa Nocturne

2022

A Colorado native now living in Arizona, Don Hamilton's paintings evoke a strong emotion, the sense of "being there." Don has traveled extensively throughout Colorado and the US, painting and sharing his personal vision that draws people to his work. "If someone can view my work and sense the cold, smell the dampness or feel the sun beating down, then I have been successful." From as early age, Don loved to draw. He would spend hours watching his grandfather, a master stone cutter, work at his craft. Later Don would bring his drawings to his grandfather to be critiqued. It was not until he was older that Don realized the lessons he was learning about design, layout and just plain hard work. He also recognizes the strong work ethic instilled in him by his father, who taught Don the importance of commitment to excellence. As a young adult, Don Hamilton studied privately with Joe Brand, a respected wildlife artist and instructor at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. During a 4 year period, Don focused exclusively on paintings of wildlife, learning structure, anatomy and strong fundamentals in working with oils. Don's desire to work from life and to vary his subject matter led him to branch out into other areas and most importantly, to begin painting outside, "en plein air." The exhilaration of standing face to face with the subject, challenged by the changing light, unpredictable weather and the need to distill the scene down to its essence continue to be the motivation that drives him to venture out in all types of weather and to “capture the moment.” Major Collections: Roger Simons, Board of Directors, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Gordon Whitener, Board of Directors, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Shelby Bush, Hillwood International Energy, Dallas, Texas The Drake Company, Houston, Texas Ellen G. Van der Horst, President & CEO, Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Henry and Kay Bedford, Board of Directors, CM Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana John Dunlop III, Vice President, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Wichita, Kansas Select Accolades: Flatwork Award, Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show and Sale, 2014 Merit Award, Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show and Sale, 2015 Juror’s Award, Heart of the West Art Show and Auction, 2015 Publications: Southwest Art, Art of the West, Plein Air Magazine