LINDSAY JOY HAMILTON

The Vancouver Art Gallery current exhibition is of Jack Shadbolt under the influence of Emily Carr. Apparently he  found she had too much influence on his work so he decided to hunt down her ghost on Vancouver Island to exorcise Miss Carr from his work.

There is a undeniable presence of Carr in Shadbolt’s work;

Red Cedar Emily Carr 1931

Hornby Suite Jack Shadbolt 1969

The exhibition got me questioning if there are artists who have too much influence on my work. Maybe I am in need of an exorcism?

Here’s a few examples of work that has visible and obvious influences on my work.

Constructed Head Naum Gabo 1915

Futurist Manipissdo Lindsay Joy Hamilton 2005

Contender Alexandra Grant 2005

Painting in Kerby's Tongue Lindsay Joy Hamilton 2006

Untitled Jack Goldstein 1982

Climax Lindsay Joy Hamilton 2006

Rhino Leroy Neiman

Loon Lindsay Joy Hamilton 2007

Annette Messager 1990's

John Doesy Doe Lindsay Joy Hamilton 2007

I’ve noticed in the past few years my work has been moving farther away from noticeable influences and references. This could mean I am finding my own voice and creatively inventing my own artistic expression, OR I have not been seeing enough art to allow for the influence to happen. It is probably a little of column A and B.

Its hard to know what to do after just graduating from University. The comfort and structure of school life has been yanked out from underneath me. I haven’t been working on anything in particular, a few ideas for drawings, maybe a painting or two. But nothing I’m staying up late to finish. I have hardly done a thing artistically since Have In Mind. I have been blitzing the lower mainland with proposals for exhibitions, sending resumes out to galleries and researching potential artist is residencies, MFA programs and the like. So a whole lot of sitting inside on beautiful days in front of my computer.

I am trying to slow down a bit and not to rush this whole time.  My career has barely started, and I want it to happen all too fast. I’m going to have to deal with my patience. “Its the process not the product that is fulfilling”, “its the travels not the destination” etc etc etc… I don’t even know what I want, but I want it with so much passion…I wouldn’t even know what to do with “it” even if things just fell into my lap. Not being famous enough is a Universal Artist Disease…in my case it isn’t fame I’m looking for, but success, in all its shades and tones.