A piece of the moon on earth: Art and Travel with Alison Hamier
Traveling and creativity have long been interlinked. From Van Gogh’s Starry Night to Edward Hopper’s, Hill with Lighthouse, artists have traversed landscapes near and far to find inspiration in the beauty of foreign places.
Alison Hamier is an avid traveler who translates the atmospheric beauty of her explorations into ethereal, abstract paintings. From Hawaii to Iceland, Alison captures the light, color, and emotional essence of a landscape with rich composition and tasteful balance. For Alison, the beauty of making art from travel is about more than replicating what you see, it is about replicating what you feel.
We asked Alison to share a bit about her creative process and what inspired her to make art on the go.
What inspired you to take up art?
Since I was very young, I've been surrounded by a family where art is important. I studied at the F.A.C.E. school from nursery through to the end of secondary school, so I've always done art in an environment conducive to creation. My uncle Milan Lapka is an internationally renowned painter and ceramist, and my aunt Eva Lapka is an international ceramist. I got my DEC in arts and communication and BAC in visual arts and arts education. For the last 8 years, I've devoted myself full-time to creation.
How does traveling inspire you as an artist?
Travel is very important to me because it is my direct source of inspiration. Landscapes become abstract landscapes where I explore the country's culture and the emotions felt on these journeys.
Which places in the world have inspired your creativity?
They have all inspired me in one way or another. Some journeys, such as Hawaii, the Bahamas, or Italy, have taken longer to express themselves through painting... time has its way! Every country, every place is a great source of inspiration, but the one that has inspired me the most so far is Iceland.
What advice would you give to artists who want to make art when they're traveling or on the move?
The best advice I can give is to take a mini sketchbook, something light that fits in your pocket... it's a good way of being able to create wherever you are. Photography is also a very good, quick, and easy way of building up a bank of images for future creations.
Can you tell us about your Iceland series?
Iceland has always been an intriguing and fascinating country for me. In 2019, I was doing a series of four works on Vik, a place where the black sand beaches captured my heart. In 2020 I did three works entitled 'Terres Islandaises,' the sequel to which was created in 2021, as well as other works inspired by the landscapes of this magnificent country.
In the spring of 2022, my husband and I set off on the trip of my dreams to the south of Iceland. There I discovered a volcanic region by the sea where the smell of sulfur is omnipresent called Grindavik. Then there's Black Sand Beach... where the waves lace the black sand beaches. Inland, the rock faces are tinged with red... iron stains that the rushing waters bring out in the new spring vegetation. The Markarfljot series was born.
Many other places in this marvelous country have inspired me: the glaciers, Europe's first parliament at Pingvellir, the geysers... In my eyes, Iceland is a piece of the moon that has fallen to earth, and that fits in so well with our beautiful planet.
