BIOGRAPHY
In 1973 Juan Hamilton, a trained ceramicist, settled in New Mexico, and for the next thirteen years served as studio assistant for the legendary painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986). During this extended period, Hamilton’s own work in clay and bronze evolved into sculptural statements characterized by a mysterious, timeless order. Uniform or irregular spheres, ovoid as well as teardrop shapes, tall monoliths or flattened pebblelike forms, they suggest black rocks worn perfectly smooth over millennia by glaciers or running streams.
The smooth, curving contours of his primordial open or closed forms are based not only on Hamilton’s early experience as a potter, or his knowledge of the works of sculptors Constantin Brancusi and Jean Arp. They are predicated on the indigenous skills and traditions of adobe building in New Mexico, which Hamilton patiently gained as he restored an old, abandoned house. The artist’s elemental shapes also evoke the timeless eloquence of Japanese Zen gardens. During a trip to Japan in 1970, Hamilton’s artistic vision was profoundly affected be his experience of the stillness, harmony, and spiritual peace of these meditative settings.
