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Spotlight On: Irish artist Audrey Hamilton

For this week’s Spotlight On feature, we spoke to Audrey Hamilton.

The talented Irish artist, who has over 51.4k followers on Instagram, recently launched her own clothing collection – Audrey Hamilton Apparel.

In her exclusive interview with Goss.ie, Audrey spoke about her inspirations, her career to date, and her plans for the future.

Take a look:

 

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A post shared by AUDREY HAMILTON (@audreyhamiltonart)

How did you first get into art and design? 

I’ve always loved art. I grew up in a very creative household – arts and crafts were a big part of everyday activities and always encouraged. It was no surprise that I took up the hobby of painting again in my 30’s, but for it to become my full time job and business was never something I expected or thought possible. I’m so grateful I get to do what I love everyday as my job, but it took many years and many different job titles to get to where I am today. 

Who are your biggest inspirations in your field of work?

I love quirky artists and have always loved the idea of abstract. Art is in the eye of its beholder, there’s no such thing as perfect when it comes to art. I have always loved the work of Frida Kahoolawe and Andy Warhol.

 

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A post shared by AUDREY HAMILTON (@audreyhamiltonart)


You recently sold prints to raise money for breast cancer charities. What inspired you to do that? Have you any more charity work lined up? 

One of my best friends Georgie Crawford was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2017. She has been and continues to be an inspiration to so many women, and is also an advocate and ambassador for Breast Cancer Ireland. I honestly could not be more proud of my friend and the strength she has shown through her journey. For a while now we had been wanting to come together and do something to raise money for such a worthy cause.

On account of COVID-19, many charities have been seriously impacted and need support. Not many of you will know this, but BCI is a charity that is run solely by two amazing women who work with many women who have been diagnosed. So I wanted to do something to help. I painted FEMME in the hopes of raising money for such a worthy cause. We were blown away by the amount of people who wanted a print, and we raised €21,000 for BCI last year.

I do my best to support charities throughout the year. Last year I raised €20,000 for WWF through my print of the koala KOKO after the devastating bush fires in Australia. And this year I pained another pair of colourful boobs, PEACHES to raise money again for BCI. There are still some limited edition prints left of this print. I think we all do our best in our fields to help worthy causes.

 

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A post shared by AUDREY HAMILTON (@audreyhamiltonart)

Where did the idea for an apparel line come from? What was the process of setting it up? How would you describe your brand?

I’ve always been obsessed with fashion. I remember when I was in college I used to always say, one day I will design my own clothing that I wear every day, because I got so frustrated trying to find the perfect sweater, tracksuit bottoms, t-shirt, etc. fit in my eyes. When I started painting with colour, I started to wear so much more colourful clothes and with that came the idea of designing colourful clothing with my art work on it, that people could feel comfortable in and love to wear.

I think people need more positivity at the moment so I think it’s a great time to introduce pops of colour to your wardrobe. It makes people smile and I’ve been told my art does too, so I’m hoping this is an apparel line people will wear with a smile.

The brand’s motto is ‘Be bold, you are already beautiful’. Tell us about that.

BE BOLD, YOU ARE ALREADY BEAUTIFUL, is our brand message, and it is what AHA is all about. There are no rules in fashion – I want people to feel confident in what they wear and wear what they want, when they want. 

Have you any advice for aspiring artists and designers? 

My advice for any aspiring artists, designers and creators would be; if you believe you can, then do! When one door closes it’s an opportunity for another one to open and you never know what that door might be.

Don’t feel like you have to conform to trends or what’s ‘in’ at one given time. Trends change, if you believe in the piece you are designing, it will stand out all by itself. If you don’t try, you’ll never know!

 

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A post shared by AUDREY HAMILTON (@audreyhamiltonart)


What’s next for you? 

I have already started designing for AHApparel Spring/Summer next year. This is just the beginning of my apparel line and I cannot wait to start adding to the collection.

Check out Audrey’s apparel line here.

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