ARTS SPEAK
SPATIAL
BEAUTY By Amanda Dahl
M
ichelle Hamilton, contemporary glass artist and owner of Zaximo Studios, puts life into her artwork. You can see it in the way light hits her designs, casting a moving web across the inhabited space, and in the tactile forms of her pieces. “Clients think [my artwork falls into the category of subaquatic],” Hamilton says. “It’s really the organic form that would be found in sea life, but also in the shadowing of plants and flowers, and the way that light dances off of things.” For two years in a row, Hamilton was recognized by Bullseye Glass Co. – a glass manufacturer and leading company in the promotion of glass art worldwide – as part of its collection in warm glass, which is kiln-formed and uses the techniques of fusing, casting and slumping. Bullseye Glass Co. bestows this honor on artists from around the world who exemplify emerging trends. One of her biggest acknowledgments, though, came when she installed 60 pieces at a children’s hospital, located in Florida, a year and a half ago.
“Getting to see how that hospital turned out and how the artwork [became] part of the children’s world, to me, felt like an honor,” Hamilton says. The biggest impact from the coronaviral pandemic, the artist notes, has hit in an unexpected way – through creative fatigue. Hamilton reports that many in the art community are contending with this, and for her, this challenge calls for out-of-the-box answers. “You’re not getting out and inspired visually,” she says. “Normally, I spend so much time going to galleries, openings and museums. My husband and I travel purposefully to do three things: eat great food, hike great trails and see great art. I think we will appreciate what we see and experience [post-pandemic] so much more. It’s causing me to rethink what, to me, feels fresh.” Hamilton’s in the development stages of new artistic concepts that will incorporate lighting solutions with large-scale pieces and installations, all while being mindful of how each work impacts its environment. In her dual career at a firm that focuses on artwork master
planning and interiors, Hamilton has gleaned a fundamental understanding of how art interacts with a space. “Art can psychologically impact the human brain,” Hamilton says. “It can add visual stimulation, [spark] conversation … It’s important that [art acts as] a foundation in design and space.”
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Zaximo Studios, 314-761-5460, zaximo.com LadueNews.com | FEBRUARY 5, 2021
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