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"
A patch of weeds along a busy road, on a city sidewalk, or in a
public park is something that often escapes attention, yet close-up
these Urban Wilds depict a fascinating world of random shapes, bold
colors, varied textures, and beautiful patterns. These types of
natural distractions serve as a major inspiration in my work and
provide escape from a world dominated by asphalt and concrete
"
Artist's
Statement:
I'm
a Boston artist born and raised in Massachusetts.
I taught myself to paint at the age of 12 while growing up in the
town of Westborough, Massachusetts. I continued to develop my skills
and technique on my own over the years and went on to formally study
Art in New York, at Hofstra University, where I earned a B.A. in
both Art History and Film, with studio work in painting and photography.
During and immediately after college I worked in the field of film
and animation. I presently live and paint in the South End of Boston.
My
Heritage:
My
father is a Greek immigrant born and raised in Khartoum, Sudan and
my mother is Croatian from Zagreb. My parents met while attending
school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and like so many other immigrants,
came to America to find a better life. My last name, while not Greek
in origin, is the legacy of my great grandfather, George Hamawi,
who was born in Alexandria Egypt, but of both Greek and Syrian descent.
The Hamawi name itself originates from the 3000 year old city of
Hama in present day Syria. Hamawi literally translated means "from
Hama". George Hamawi married Erifili Georganas, a Greek woman
originally from Mytiline (the capital city on the Island of Lesbos).
Erifili was the sister of the famous Greek painter Vasileios
Ithakisios (Georganas). Ithakisios, my great uncle,
was known for his magnificent paintings of Mount Olympus where he
lived and painted (from a home he built in a cave on the mountain)
for 20 years.
Because
of that diverse heritage, I was exposed to a wide variety of cultures
and landscapes at an early age, travelling often to see family in
Africa, Greece, and Croatia. Most of my childhood summers were spent
with my relatives in Istria, Croatia where I still visit very often
for inspiration and to relax among one of the world's most beautiful
coastlines.
My
Artwork:
My
most recent nature paintings were inspired from finding diverse
and intriguing nature scenes along a roadside, by a shoreline, on
a sidewalk, or in a city park. These fairly common, but less celebrated
subjects like weeds, leaves, grasses, and rocks, when viewed close
up, offer a glimpse into a more abstract micro-world of varying
colors, patterns, textures, and shapes. Many of these familiar subjects
can be found in even the most congested and inhospitable of urban
environments, and yet due to their widespread nature, are routinely
ignored. Through repetition, these patterns become ingrained into
our psyche subconsciously and contribute to the human experience
by virtue of how we relate to our natural surroundings and find
comfort in the familiarity of certain everyday images.
My
next series of nature paintings will be collectively titled "Urban
Wilds" after both my 2007 Oil painting and my 2009 Copley Square
mural. I'll be interpreting a wide variety of naturally occuring
grasses, wildflowers, weeds, leaves, and anything green and growing
through asphalt and concrete in the City of Boston. Part of the
planning and preparation for this new series involves taking long
walks from my studio every week. I typically walk for 4 or 5 miles
to some lesser known part of our city and photograph the wildflowers
and grasses I find, and bring some samples back to my studio. I'll
be starting up a new blog on my site that documents this. I discover
so many amazing new things about our city in the process and I think
that might be interesting to others.
My
artwork has been displayed at various galleries and venues throughout
Boston and New York, including the Kingston Gallery, The Institute
of Contemporary Art, The Cyclorama, The Courtyard Gallery, the
Shelter Rock Gallery (NY), Legacy Gallery, Arclinea Boston, SoWa
Art Walk, and The South End Open Studios. Both my artwork and
Bluebrick Studios have received mention in a variety of local
and national publications including American Art Collector, Art
New England, The Boston Globe, The Improper Bostonian, Boston
Magazine, InNewsweekly, New England Blade, The Boston Courant,
and The South End News.
All
my paintings are signed "Christos"
in cadmium red, on the lower right hand corner. All limited edition
Giclee prints are re-signed in blue
pencil beneath the original red signature.
If
you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, please
send an e-mail to:

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