This talented Almonte couple continues to brighten our world with the way they live and the art they create. theHumm is delighted to feature the art of Linda and Sam Hamilton on our cover for the second time. Illustrator (and now art instructor) Sam headlined our April 2012 issue; paper botanical artist and teacher Linda decorated our May issue of 2013. The Hamiltons epitomize the raison d’être for our monthly arts paper: “…to connect and promote people and events in the small towns and rural communities of the Ottawa Valley — where the arts flourish and entertaining characters run amok!” Throughout the past fourteen years these two local artists have continued to flourish, entertain and educate!
Linda Hamilton is the creator of extraordinary paper botanicals — so extraordinary, in fact, that she was flown to Boston to install thirty of her stunning floral sculptures for an event at the home of a prominent Boston-area philanthropic couple. That fortuitous encounter has blossomed into commissions by a staggering variety of far-flung institutions such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Roof Crop urban agriculture initiative in Chicago, Grow Wild in Montana, and four commissions for the University of Minnesota. It’s ironic but wonderful that her reputation is flourishing as successfully as an invasive weed!
Her success is well deserved. In addition to working many seasons at her mother’s acres of commercial gardens in Brooke Valley near Perth, Linda worked as a florist caring for and arranging fresh and dried flowers for a decade. She also completed a degree in Visual Arts at York University, where she met Sam Hamilton who was studying graphic design. Today she is a member of the Paper Artist Collective, the Ottawa Society of Botanical Artists, and Arts Carleton Place. Her beautiful botanical artworks are for sale locally at Riverguild in Perth, General Fine Craft in Almonte, and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte.
She and Sam are inveterate lovers of and protectors of the natural world, both in their personal lives and in their artistic endeavours. In addition to her ongoing experience as a gardener, Linda does extensive research on the flora surrounding us in Lanark County. Since the couple purchased a rural piece of land about twenty minutes from their home, Linda has studied the local wildflowers and been amazed at how many are not native to our area. In April of 2021, in conjunction with her stunning display of local flora at the Mill of Kintail Museum, she told us: “Learning about the impacts of non-native and invasive species on our environment is important because they affect so many aspects of our surroundings from insect and animal life to drainage, land use and disease.” She particularly welcomes commissions to create hyper-realistic floral and plant displays that will be used for conservation education, such as her recent display of native wildflowers and noxious weeds made for Jefferson County in Montana this past year.
Another major component of Linda’s career is highlighted on her website where she writes, “I love to give workshops to teach others the joy of making flowers from paper!”
She teaches both virtually (online) and in person, and has taught extensively both locally (Ottawa School of Art, Parrott Gallery in Belleville) and farther afield (virtually at The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Denver Botanic Gardens, Brock University), among many other assignments.
Linda and Sam appear to have inadvertently embraced the teachings of John Dewey, an American philosopher, educational reformer, and a leading figure in progressive education. Dewey taught, “The essential self is creative, and creativity is the source of all fulfillment.” When Sam completed his Honours Bachelor of Design at York University/Sheridan College in 2004, he emerged with proficiency in web design and the skills needed to land a job as graphic designer for a supplier of large construction tools. He found it stifling, so he took the plunge to become a freelance graphic designer.
Today Sam is a gifted illustrator who creates some of the most endearing characters for children’s books and animations I have seen. As a freelance illustrator, he has collaborated with several authors to produce books that, in my opinion, should be available to every parent helping a child learn how to enjoy and appreciate reading — and art!
Sam’s presentation of his portfolio at samhdesign.com demonstrates his whimsical and magical approach to creating thoroughly captivating characters. Selling kids’ books is a daunting undertaking, and Sam is overdue for the lucky break that propels him into the public’s eye. In the meantime, if you know someone who needs a great logo (like theHumm’s), or signage and print design for a new local feature (like Mississippi Mills’ Walking Tour in Almonte), contact Sam at sam@samhdesign.com.
He is also developing educational classes in cartooning and drawing with a focus on storytelling. He noticed a lack of similar resources in the community, and his inaugural classes at the Almonte Branch of the Mississippi Mills Library have been hugely successful. Watch his website for announcements about his upcoming classes at the Almonte Old Town Hall. As Sam knows so well, there is no substitute for the thrill and pleasure of developing your own creativity.
A Family Affair
The Hamiltons’ eighteen-year-old son Henry is following in his parents’ footsteps. He is taking a break from school this year to explore the path his artistic career will take, and he is currently working at the Almonte Library. Next July Henry’s artworks will be on display there, and theHumm predicts he will become another flourishing Ottawa Valley artist. It will be interesting to see what his younger sister, Hazel, chooses to pursue as her career.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to document this local couple’s artistic achievements over the past fourteen years. Doing the research for this update, I rediscovered the joy that Sam’s and Linda’s art bestows on a world in sore need of comfort and joy. Do yourself a favour and spend some time on their uplifting websites, handily accessible on the reverse of their Artist Trading Card at the top of this page. Better yet, spread your wings and take a class! Happy New Year to you all.
