Unlike other Outsider Artists of HAI, Ray Hamilton (1920 -1996), born in Anderson, South Carolina, had no known hospitalizations for mental illness. He is believed to have become involved in the mental health system when down and out on the Bowery during the early ‘80’s
Ray Hamilton’s styles are defined by two chronological periods of his life. His early work utilizes a traditional array of media – watercolor, oil pastel, even crayon. His later work utilizes ball-point pen. Subjects in both periods include human and quasi-human figures and animals. Figures predominate in the early period; animals in the latter. He incorporated writing in both periods, usually printing a variation on "R A Hamilton, Sir Single, Citizen of USA" on his work. Man and Fish is an outstanding example of his early work. Hamilton’s ball-point drawings intensely worked the paper, creating indentations adding depth and drama to two-dimensional drawing. Rabbit, Sun and Moon is in the permanent collection of the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Trust.
Little is known about Hamilton’s life before he participated in the HAI workshop program at a group residence for adults when he was already over 60 years old. Several years later, following a stroke, Hamilton moved to a skilled healthcare facility where he spent his final years. Hamilton continued to work in ball-point and returned to watercolor as well. When his dominant hand tired due to the effect of the stroke, he continued to paint by switching hands.
During this sort of postscript to his two major periods, his works, at their best, took on a streamlined delicacy that more than hold their own compared to the quality of his early works. These works in watercolor or ball-point are exquisite farm animals, mostly horse and cows. His writing is reduced, but numbers are sometimes incorporated. While Ray is believed to have had a large family in South Carolina, his nursing home only called HAI when he died.
Hamilton is the subject of a feature article by N. F. Karlins, PhD in Raw Vision, Volume 24.
Ray Hamilton’s styles are defined by two chronological periods of his life. His early work utilizes a traditional array of media – watercolor, oil pastel, even crayon. His later work utilizes ball-point pen. Subjects in both periods include human and quasi-human figures and animals. Figures predominate in the early period; animals in the latter. He incorporated writing in both periods, usually printing a variation on "R A Hamilton, Sir Single, Citizen of USA" on his work. Man and Fish is an outstanding example of his early work. Hamilton’s ball-point drawings intensely worked the paper, creating indentations adding depth and drama to two-dimensional drawing. Rabbit, Sun and Moon is in the permanent collection of the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Trust.
Little is known about Hamilton’s life before he participated in the HAI workshop program at a group residence for adults when he was already over 60 years old. Several years later, following a stroke, Hamilton moved to a skilled healthcare facility where he spent his final years. Hamilton continued to work in ball-point and returned to watercolor as well. When his dominant hand tired due to the effect of the stroke, he continued to paint by switching hands.
During this sort of postscript to his two major periods, his works, at their best, took on a streamlined delicacy that more than hold their own compared to the quality of his early works. These works in watercolor or ball-point are exquisite farm animals, mostly horse and cows. His writing is reduced, but numbers are sometimes incorporated. While Ray is believed to have had a large family in South Carolina, his nursing home only called HAI when he died.
Hamilton is the subject of a feature article by N. F. Karlins, PhD in Raw Vision, Volume 24.
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