italian artist toni hamel tackles the big
issues with pencils and paint.
an artful tale
Hello! Tell us a little about yourself. Hi there! I’m a visual artist
from Oshawa, a suburb of Toronto, Canada. I’m originally from Italy,
but I’ve been in Canada since 1984 and loved every minute of it.
What kind of art do you make? My art practice currently focuses
on painting and drawing, but I dabble in small-scale sculpture and
large-scale installation from time to time.
What are your favourite mediums to work with, and why?I tend
to work mostly with oils, graphite and watercolours. For my
drawings, I’ll either use regular lead pencils or graphite powder.
I apply the latter as if it were pastels, using my fingers or a
sponge-tipped applicator (and sometimes even make-up pads or
whatever else might do the job). I like my paintings to be ‘painterly’
rather than too precise. Oils, due to their slow drying time, allow me
to paint wet-on-wet, or alla prima – a technique that welcomes a
more relaxed approach.
What puts you in the mood to create? It might be the right music;
a stanza from a favourite poem; a book I’ve read; a documentary I’ve
watched; or just the daily news. It’s not one specific thing – it could
be anything and everything. For that reason, I make sure to always
have a sketchbook handy.
Do you have a back-story in mind for each of your scenarios/
characters? Yes. Absolutely. I work in series, and each tackles a
specific topic or issue that I feel needs to be investigated. The title
dictates which stories will be told, the scenarios in which they’ll
unfold, and the characters that will inhabit them. There’s an affinity
between my work and that of a writer or playwright – the difference
lies in the tools used for each craft.
Are there any messages you’re trying to convey through your work?
My work confronts us with the absurdity of our exploitative approach to
the environment – both social and natural – and its repercussions. Our
constant pursuit of self-gratification has trapped us in a corner from
which it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to escape. I investigate
the factors and motivations that led us here, while offering (at times)
some levity and (always) food for thought. Humour is used to sweeten
the pill. Since I don’t have the political power to effect change, I use art
to raise awareness about the urgency of this and other matters.
What’s the creative scene like in Canada? The art scene in Toronto
is quite vibrant. There’s a plethora of artists at every stage of their
career, seeking to make their mark, but unfortunately there aren’t
too many galleries willing to take them on. Nowadays, though, artists
are taking matters into their own hands, self-representing online,
in pop- up galleries, and at annual art fairs and open-air festivals.
What’s one thing we should know about you? I’ve noticed
many of my online followers assume I’m a young man. At the
risk of disappointing anyone, I’m proud to say that I’m actually
a middle-aged woman.
Where can we see more of your work? I’m not too diligent in
keeping up with social media (or the Kardashians), but I try to post
new works on tonihamel.net, ingramgallery.com, or on Instagram
at @tonihamel_artistpretty pictures