Artist of the Week: Aramis Hamer

Aramis Hamer is an acrylic painter and muralist whose art uses bright colors and focuses on divine feminity, music, the cosmos and higher consciousness.

Seattle Refined: How long have you been creating? What mediums do you work with?
Aramis Hamer: I've been creating ever since I was a child. I decided to pursue art as a serious profession in 2015 — coming up on seven years. My primary medium is acrylic paints. I also use spray paint in outdoor murals.

Can you tell us about your artistic process and how the different stages work into it?
I usually start with a loose canvas roll and pour paint while it lays on the floor of my studio. From there, I incorporate a portrait or full figurative painting of a goddess that I want to represent. I love painting on a large scale because of the presence it commands in a room. I use a lot of color and layers throughout my painting process. Color is like my medicine, especially on grey Seattle days.

Tell us about where your inspiration for your art comes from.
I'm inspired by absolutely everything, but there are a few main pillars found throughout my work. I'm inspired by spirituality, music, nature, divine femininity, and my experiences as a Black woman. I incorporate a lot of gold chains in my work, which have a trinity of influences. The chains are connected to the concept frequently represented in popular Hip Hop songs: you commemorate your financial freedom by purchasing a gold chain. The other aspect is how chains can keep us trapped, literally and metaphorically, if we don't seek our daily liberation through inner work. The other aspect is the knowledge that we are all connected, cosmically & consciously linked on a gold chain of this infinite existence.

Do you have a specific "beat" you like best – nature, food, profiles, etc.?
I like to weave together nature, the cosmos, and the woman's body into the majority of my latest work. But who knows, that could change in the future.

Do you have one piece of art that means more to you or is extremely special to you?
There's a painting I created titled "Liberation," which means a lot to me. It's a blue woman bursting through gold chains and claiming her freedom. I painted this piece during the early part of my career when I was on a journey of claiming my own freedom. She signified a major milestone in my life, artistically & spiritually.

What experiences in your life have affected your art the most?
That's a loaded one, for sure. I would have to say simply this human experience of living as a Black woman in America with the ability to paint. I talk at length about these experiences and influences on my YouTube channel and in my blogcast.

If we want to see more of your work, where should we go to find it?
My website, aohamer.com.

What is next for you? Anything you're working on right now that you're really excited about?
I'm recovering from the four-year journey of bringing the Zodiac paintings to life. After that, I'm thinking of exploring a tarot painting series. We'll see what happens!

Lastly, how do you take your coffee? (We ask everyone!)
Dark chocolate cappuccino with coconut milk.

About 'Artist of the Week': Seattle might be notorious for niche coffee shops and scenic waterways, but locals know it's also home to an array of people who love to create. This city is chock-full of artists who we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist in mind that you would like to see featured, let us know at hello@seattlerefined.com. And if you're wondering just what constitutes art, that's the beauty of it; it's up to you! See all of our past Artists of the Week in our dedicated section.