Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Hamilton.
Susan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Art, from the time I was little, has always been a particular joy for me. My parents encouraged creativity, which I took for granted at the time, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate what a gift that was. In sixth grade, I received an antique camera, and ever since I’ve been a photographer. Checking out books from the library allowed me to learn on my own as much as I could about how the camera worked and which elements made a photo more interesting to look at. My mother gave me a darkroom set when I was in eighth grade, and that changed my life again, introducing me to the magic of developing film and printing photographs. I spent endless hours of my life, happily alone in a dark room, listening to music, inhaling chemical fumes, staying out of trouble in high school.
Fast forward to the present – I majored in photography at ASU, my darkroom has been replaced by a computer running Photoshop, but it’s still magic for me, seeing the photos come up on the camera screen now instead of in the developing tray. It’s never been boring. What could be better?
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Lately, after taking a class with Binh Dang at ASU, I’ve been excited about alternative process photography, which consists of a number of 19th-century processes where the sun is used to expose negatives on different art papers. Cyanotype has a strong, beautiful blue finish; van Dyke results in an old-fashioned brown tint that will remind you of your great-grandparents’ photos; platinum printing is a softer brown with a subtle tonal range that results in an exquisite photo. My favorite process so far has been casein printing, which allows color to be added, in a number of different steps. What I particularly enjoy about this process is that I’m not good enough at it yet to predict what the result will be, so it’s always a surprise. Each photo is unique, even if I’ve printed it the same way ten different times. I crazy love that I’m back in the darkroom again – I feel as though alt process has brought my photo career full circle, re-connecting me to the amazement I experienced the first time I printed photos in my basement darkroom. My own sense of time evaporated as moments in time were printed on photo paper. That continues to happen, after all this time.
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
The financial challenges can be overwhelming. Starving sucks and I don’t recommend it, but if you are trying to choose between buying food and buying art supplies, and you spend your money on the art supplies, I think that’s an indication of how seriously you are dedicated to art. It’s ok to do whatever it takes to devote yourself to your art while also keeping a roof over your head, food in the fridge, and the electric bill paid. Your art matters, but so does your health. Be a nanny and paint at night. Be a bartender and sculpt during the day. You’ll find a way to do what it is that you were born to do. Don’t give up. You got this.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
There have been a number of exhibitions I’ve been part of. If you missed them, there will probably be more.
More important than supporting my work is the opportunity you have to support the work of emerging artists. ASU and Phoenix Community College have incredible art programs, with their own galleries. PCC has the Fischl gallery, and ASU has Gallery 100, which showcases undergraduate artists, the Grant Street Studio Galleries, which feature work from the graduate students, and the Harry Wood Gallery, which features a range of exhibit, including faculty work. This town has a pretty lit art community. Consider discovering some of it.
Contact Info:
- Email: bluegreenchaos@gmail.com
- Instagram: bluegreenchaos
Image Credit:
susan hamilton
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