Written by Heather Bridge, Contemporary landscape painter
The city of Hamilton has a rich history and culture, and it’s known for its commitment to the arts. Surrounded by nature, Hamilton also has a thriving urban community and a bustling, trendy downtown.
As an artist, if you’re looking for inspiration, Hamilton offers it all. It’s not surprising that so many amazing artists live and work in Hamilton, but what exactly makes Hamilton artists’ work so unique?
Hamilton’s supportive arts community
Even behind closed doors, artists in Hamilton are supportive and uplifting. Personally, I’ve had many local artists reach out to me privately just to tell me they like something I’ve created and offer encouragement. Artists in Hamilton know there’s enough room for everyone in this space. This creates a flourishing art community since artists support one another.
Local art festivals
Whether you’re interested in checking out Art Crawl which takes place every second Friday of every month, or Supercrawl in September, James Street North in Hamilton is a major arts hub in the city. Art festivals like this breathe life into our city, and in turn, the artwork. Seeing Hamilton community members engage with the work inspires artists to keep creating.
A beautiful natural landscape
One of Hamilton’s best-kept secrets is our natural environment. Everything form the waterfalls, beautiful trails, escarpment views and the waterfront serve as inspiration to the artists living in this city. Beautiful scenery creates beautiful paintings.
Galleries
Hamilton is home to so many amazing art galleries such as the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Centre 3, Earls Court Gallery, McMaster Museum of Art and Carnegie Gallery. It’s clear that Hamilton is a city that supports artists.
Every day I’m inspired by Hamilton, especially how other local artists represent our city and our landscape. It’s amazing to see how different everyone’s work is and I think a lot of that has to do with how supportive our community is. Hamilton gives artists the freedom to explore new perspectives and techniques in their work and we all benefit.
Check out artwork inspired by Hamilton and Ontario’s natural environment
View artwork