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Hamilton painter braves the cold to capture winter’s natural beauty
Most of us are staying in. She’s heading out. One Hamilton artist is braving the elements to turn winter into art.
On a bright winter day in Hamilton, one local artist is scraping off the cold — literally.
With a small canvas on a pochade box, a portable easel and storage. Grace Afonso is chasing the sunshine.
“Your light changes quickly, you just got to go as fast as you can,” said Afonso.
She does this, not inside a studio, not behind a window but right out in the open air.
It’s called “en plein air” painting, capturing colours and shadows a camera just can’t quite mix.
“My head doesn’t stay still, I don’t stay in the same spot, so it’s always changing — so that life comes in your painting,” said Afonso.
While most artists stay cozy indoors, Afonso says her studio is wherever she plants her easel, sunshine or snowfall.
Just last week during that Sunday snowstorm, she was still out on Kent Street layering sketches to paint as the snow layered up around her.
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“The snow is coming on so quickly onto my page. We’re trying to blow it off, shake it off. Everything was getting soaked. It was the best time,” said Afonso.
She’s following a frosty tradition. Artists like members of the Group of Seven and Maurice Cullen bundled up to paint Canada’s winters exactly as they felt them.
“You don’t have all the comforts that you would have in your studio. Your stuff could fall — you’re trying to hold on to everything. You’re more in the moment,” said Afonso.
Afonso says you’ve got to be willing to suffer for your art. She calls it adding grit to her palette knife.
“Not your common tool. Most people use brushes but it’s amazing. You can scrape on your paint, scrape off your paint,” said Afonso.
Born in Sudbury, raised in small towns, even spending time in Portugal, Afonso first trained as a nurse before choosing her art.
“I don’t think there’s a day I go where I don’t paint or sketch or do something art related,” said Afonso.
So while most of us rush inside to warm up, Afonso stays put painting winter one colour at a time.
