Paint, Play, and Perseverance
Rick Hamilton’s Vibrant Coastal Narratives and Joyful Work Ethic
Painting the Unexpected
Rick Hamilton didn’t set out to be a painter.
One afternoon on Portland’s Munjoy Hill, Rick saw a 10-year-old neighbor painting outside. “She asked if I wanted to paint with her,” he recalls. “So I did.” That spontaneous moment sparked a journey that would lead Rick—then working a string of odd jobs—toward his now full-time career as a self-taught painter based in Maine’s largest city.
“I didn’t go to art school,” he says. “But once I started painting, I never stopped.”
“I want my work to feel alive, joyful, and a little surprising.”
Hands at Work, Stories in Motion
Rick’s art celebrates physical labor and expressive movement—lobstermen in orange overalls, dancers mid-kick, workers caught in the rhythm of daily life. “There’s something beautiful about that kind of dedication,” he says of his subjects. “People who work with their hands. It just pulls me in.”
His process is intuitive and playful: bold color, layered texture, and the occasional happy accident, like paint bubbled by a heat gun or sanded down to reveal unexpected underlayers.
His lobsterman series began not with a boat or buoy, but a single shade: “I wanted to paint the orange overalls,” he says. “That was it.”
Cats, Connections, and Community
Every Rick Hamilton painting hides a cat. It started with Serenading the Cats, a Mediterranean-inspired piece of a man playing guitar to feral felines. Now it’s tradition—even though Rick is mildly allergic to cats.
“Just purchase a Rick Hamilton painting, and you’ll have a cat in your house—whether you can find it or not.”
This sense of humor, and his openness to connection, shows up in his large-scale work, too. When invited to create a 6-by-10-foot painting live at the Portland Art Gallery, Rick invited gallery visitors—kids included—to watch and participate.
One little girl said she wanted to go home and paint. “I handed her a brush and yellow paint,” Rick recalls. “She started painting on the canvas right then. That felt full circle for me.”
A Reluctant Lobsterman, A Relatable Painter
Rick once tried lobstering for two weeks. “It’s way too hard,” he laughs. “Not my thing.”
Still, that brief experience gave him a glimpse into the world he now paints so vividly. His pieces offer more than snapshots of coastal life—they’re tributes to grit, joy, and shared effort. He also paints dancers, inspired by their intense dedication and expressive form.
“Dancers and lobstermen—they both work hard. I respect that.”
Style, Substance, and the Risk of Play
Rick paints fast and without fear. If a red isn’t quite right, he’ll blast it with a heat gun, sand it, repaint it. Occasionally he scorches a canvas—but sometimes, those “mistakes” yield magical textures.
“My process is loose and intuitive. The mistakes are often my favorite parts.”
He paints both figures and architecture, sometimes combining the two. While comfortable with expressive figures, placing them into larger scenes is a newer challenge—and one he’s embracing. “It’s like a rollercoaster,” he says. “I go from ‘this is amazing’ to ‘this is horrible’ and back again. But that’s just part of it.”
Commissions, Collaborations, and Conversation
Rick views commissions as collaborations. “I take input, make changes, and keep the conversation going. That’s what I love—connecting with people through art.”
Whether painting coastal buildings, chorus lines, or imagined ports, Rick lets the work evolve. Some clients request more blue, or a different size—he adapts, as long as it stays true to his voice.
“One of the main reasons I make art is to connect with people.”
What’s Next for Rick Hamilton?
More Maine. More color. And maybe… more abstraction.
Rick’s currently exploring how to translate his signature energy—lobstermen, dancers, coastal joy—into purely abstract forms. “I’m attached to story,” he admits. “So abstraction’s a challenge. But I’m excited to try.”
Visit the Work
Rick Hamilton’s paintings are vibrant, story-driven celebrations of Maine life, movement, and joyful observation.
See his work in person at the Portland Art Gallery in Portland’s historic Old Port, or online.
Watch the Full Interview
To hear more about Rick’s journey—from lobster boats to gallery walls, from accidental heat gun effects to childhood inspiration—watch his full Radio Maine conversation with Dr. Lisa Belisle.