Reception Set for Saturday, May 9, in Downtown Natchez
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Artist David Hammett displays a handcrafted jewelry box
for his May 9 exhibit at ArtsNatchez Gallery. (Click on image to enlarge.) Photo
courtesy of ArtsNatchez Gallery |
NATCHEZ, Miss. -- When it comes to the arts, David
Hammett has long felt compelled to find creative ways to express himself, a
passion that began in childhood.
Growing up in Louisiana, he would grab a pencil and lie on
the pale blue linoleum floor of his family’s kitchen and draw pictures of
anything that came to mind.
“I would have railroad tracks and trains running all
across the floor,” he recalls. “My parents let me do it. They would mop it up
and I’d start over again. It was something I felt like doing, and it’s been
that way all my life.”
Hammett, who lives near Vidalia, is ArtsNatchez Gallery’s
Artist of the Month for May, and the public is invited to view his latest work.
Hammett’s artwork will be on display at the gallery on
Saturday, May 9, at 425 Main St. He will greet visitors from 5 to 7 p.m. at the
reception, which is free. Refreshments will be served.
Hammett is a color field painter and abstract
expressionist. His work includes paintings, jewelry boxes, custom cutting
boards with decorative elements, and carved wooden spoons. Hammett said he
looks forward to meeting visitors and discussing his work.
Hammett has practiced some form of art for most of his
life.
“I started woodwork by doing decorative boxes,” he says. “That
expanded into cutting boards and charcuterie boards with decorative elements.
Then I started carving wooden spoons. I found something in that, which I really
enjoyed doing. My woodwork mostly consists of that now.”
Hammett is a 1976 graduate of the University of Louisiana
at Monroe, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts after completing active duty
in the U.S. Army.
“After serving in the Army, I was married and felt
pressed to get a job,” he says, noting he worked in the painting industry for
35 years.
“After I retired in 2011, I moved back to my original
home in Louisiana, where I took up my artwork again.”
When asked about the inspiration for his work, Hammett
said it comes in bursts: “It’s here today or it’s not here the next day. At any
rate, I seize the moment when I get an idea.”
During the reception, Hammett will display several abstract
paintings, carved spoons, jewelry boxes, and his popular cutting boards.
“I’m the kind of artist who works from the imagination,”
Hammett says. “It’s whatever comes out. As a painter, I’m old-fashioned in
terms of technique. I use canvas and brush.”
When Hammett returned home after retirement, he needed
something to occupy his time. He became busy with his art. “I find a sense of
identity in that. That’s what I am and what I’m compelled to do,” he says.
ArtsNatchez Gallery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
that promotes the arts in the greater Natchez area and is managed by a board of
directors. It features local artists whose work spans a wide range of media,
including photography, painting, ceramics, woodwork, fabric arts, and jewelry.
Artwork is presented in oils, acrylics, pastels, charcoal, pencil, and pen and
ink.
The gallery is open daily at 10 a.m. For more
information, call 601-442-0043.
See more at this link: https://www.themississippimonitor.com/david-hammett-named-artsnatchez-artist-of-the-month-for-may/
See more at this link: https://www.themississippimonitor.com/david-hammett-named-artsnatchez-artist-of-the-month-for-may/
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