I weave together my motives by thinking of the artists who have and continue to inspire me. Sally Mann, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, Mann Ray, Oskar Schlemmer. When I attempt to put all of these artists into one category, it leads me to the most important, peculiar question I have ever asked myself as an artist: What is intimate about what we don’t understand?
What we don’t understand implies something new, a rebirth, an unfamiliar. It’s chemical. Similar to meeting someone and immediately experiencing an intimate moment that feels effortless. It’s an oxymoron - having experienced a chemical reaction with the unknown. Attempting to explain my artist purpose is like trying to put language to unconscious inner dialogue. To explain why you love what you love and dislike what you dislike. It’s already decided for you; through genetics, life experiences, and your psyche all mixed together - all pouring out into our most authentic responses. My attempt is to make them tangible.
My name is Rachel Hamilton and I am an artist based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I use photography as a form of artistic and psychological expression. I attempt to capture cinematic shots, that bleed between the lines of reality and fiction - focusing on light, color, negative space, and texture to intimately capture my subjects. I became engrossed in photography when I was about 15, after taking my first introduction to black and white film class. I spent the next 8 years exploring mediums outside of a school setting, until returning for my bachelor’s degree. My photos are taken with a Canon 35mm camera, a Canon Sure Shot Point Shoot camera, and I’m currently exploring digital with a Fujifilm X-T3. I will be graduating Cedar Crest College in Spring 2025 as an Integrated Art major with a focus in psychology, with a concentration in both photography and paper-making. In Spring 2024, my school’s literary club, called Preterite, had their annual writing contest that gets published as a book called Onyx. My photograph submission was chosen to be the cover art for the book. I also explore mediums such as paper-making & fiber arts, painting, drawing, printmaking and collaging.
Rachel Hamilton - Email: thistl3finch@gmail.com Instagram: @thistle.finch Based in Bethlehem, PA.
