NOW PICTURE THIS

2016 Hamilton Community Foundation Annual Report

Creating positive change is an art. That’s the idea behind our full annual report, Now Picture This. We gave a group of Hamilton artists free creative rein to depict five stories of HCF’s impact in their own distinctive styles – and in doing so, to inspire us all to see the bigger picture. Please scroll down and visit our gallery to meet the artists, click for a close-up on the art and most important, to read the stories that have inspired the work – all made possible through donors who have chosen the Foundation to help them drive positive change. Read our full annual report here.

Stephanie Seagram is a Hamilton based artist and arts educator. Her work is in a number of private collections, both personal and corporate. She has had a number of solo shows and been a part of many group shows.

Stephanie’s work, heavily influenced by formalism, explores the tension between mechanical and organic structures, using line as its vehicle and the appropriation of a variety of mechanical, drafting, communication and information imagery.

Stephanie is a member of The Ontario Art Education Association, Central Ontario Art Association, Hamilton Artist Inc., and sits on the arts education committee with the Hamilton Arts Council. Stephanie has a masters degree in education and her honours specialist with the Ontario College of Teachers. She currently teaches visual and media arts at Appleby College, in Oakville, ON.

Read the story that inspired this work.

With 20 years professional painting experience, Lester Coloma has contributed to the creative landscape with over 100 large-scale murals across North America.

These hand painted works feature a prominent community driven component and vary from corporate clients such as Whole Foods Market and Busch Gardens to local community projects and festivals.

Lester is a graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design and has successfully completed a one year intensive study of painting and art history in Florence, Italy.

Currently, he is creatively collaborating with his artist brother, Norman Coloma on various public art projects.

Read the story that inspired this work.

PHOTO CREDIT: Celia Moase

Steve Mazza is a Hamilton Based Artist and Maker. He works in various mediums, but he is primarily a three-dimensional artist.

While initially much of his work was ceramic, recently he has been exploring computer assisted design and 3D printing to create works of art. In addition to making his own works, Stephen creates props for the theatre and large-scale commercial installations. He shares studio space at Space Place, a collaborative arts and technology space in the heart of downtown Hamilton.

Read the story that inspired this work.

Download the STL files and create your own 3D print of the book, pencil and apple beads.

Poly is a small, multi-disciplinary creative studio operating at the intersection of art and design. Steered by Jamie Lawson, Poly specializes in logo design, hand-painted lettering, packaging and illustration.

Jamie briefly attended McMaster University in Hamilton for Fine Arts, before apprenticing at a small design company, where he would discover the building blocks of a design career. He currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario with his wife, illustrator Jacqui Oakley, their child and their records.

Jamie has also continued to pursue fine art, having displayed paintings in various solo and group exhibitions in Hamilton and Toronto.

Read the story and the poem that inspired this work.

Julia Veenstra is a vibrant and impressionistic painter. She strives to capture a moment that brings comfort to the viewer.

Her paintings “draw a viewer in, they make an impression and cause joy”.  Her paintings are a study of colour, light and shape.  Beautiful negative space is important and her strokes are fresh and vigorous.

Julia studied Illustration at Sheridan College has lived in the four countries.  Her work is collected around the world and she is carried by galleries across Canada from Montreal to Kelowna.

Read the story that inspired this work.

We hope you enjoyed the work of these talented local artists. HCF’s vision is a vibrant, inclusive Hamilton – and that includes a strong, sustainable arts scene.  The Foundation has a long history of supporting the arts that includes grants to programming, outreach, organizational capacity, scholarships and bursaries. We encourage others who want to support the arts by matching donations to the Arts Endowment Fund.  Please give us a call to learn more.