Loons, loons, loons!

If I had to choose… the Common Loon would be Bird of the Year for 2023.

Frequently seen on the lakes and coast of Maine, the Common Loon is a fan favorite here. They’re just one of those birds that command attention and adoration. I would argue they might be one of the most identifiable birds outside of the exotics that get lots of attention for their coloration and odd shapes. Even the least “bird people” of us can identify a loon call. It’s a sound of summer for me - if I listen carefully I can be serenaded by their calls at dawn and dusk from half a mile away on Megunticook Lake.

Without a doubt, they are absolutely stunning birds. I’m not at all sad about getting to spend a more than few (large!) panels worth of paint getting to know their shape and pattern better last year.

You can see the piece in the last slide above on show at Mixed Greens in Camden, Maine.

If you have any questions or would like to commission a loon portrait, or any other special bird for that matter, do not hesitate to get in touch via the website or lily.k.hamill@gmail.com.

Don't like it, change it!

Maybe it’s the artist in me that knows everything is changeable… and refuses to look at things I don’t like any longer than I have to.
So naturally once the weather got colder I have given my stairs, bathroom and mudroom makeovers… Each refresh only took a gallon or so of paint or poly, left over spray paint or up-cycled and left over building materials!

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I was tired of the dark stairs and thought white stairs with white walls might give a more modern feel… but I couldn’t stop there. If you’ve seen my art lately, then you know I love a good spray paint moment. So yes, I cut up some stencils and went to town. It’s basically a work of art in my house, that the dogs walk all over 52 times a day.

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I hate clutter, and my mudroom felt like a mess even on a good day. And also blah!
So two antique library filing cabinet drawers were re-purposed into a drawer with enough room to slid shoes under. I refinished them to match the salvaged oak door that was already there. My wonderful husband cut a granite top to make it a shelf/bench. To add some quirk, I used the very last of my flamingo wallpaper from our basement makeover last year. Moved special pieces of art in to have their moment of glory. Oh, and painted the walls (gasp) PINK!

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Remember…. if you don’t like it, change it! There is no limit to your creativity if you put some thought and time into it!

And if you need help coming up with a plan, let me know! When my schedule permits, I do project consults.
Email me at lily.k.hamill@gmail.com. There are few things I love more than re-working layouts and picking out finishes!

2023 shows, the cliff notes version

So much gratitude for the opportunities of 2023!

On January 1st, 2023, I secretly set the goal of “actually” trying to get my art “out there.” (Note the very general wording to allow for an easy exit strategy if it wasn’t going well.) There was so much potential for failure and rejection in this goal that I didn’t dare tell anyone. I’m not saying 2023 was anything monumental, but it was certainly a directional shift for my art. Hundreds of strangers laid eyes on my bird portraits. A few strangers purchased a few of said portraits. And most importantly, I rekindled the desire to show my work and generated more momentum in one year than the last decade combined.

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Franny’s Bistro - Camden, Maine
Work currently on display

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What did I learn this year? Well, I already knew this, I just felt cringey applying it to my art… but you have to ask for what you want. If a place has empty walls, ask if you can show there!

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Triangle Gallery - Rockland, Maine
July 2023

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Wolfpeach - Camden, Maine
August 2023

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Mixed Greens - Camden, Maine
Work currently on display

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Camden National Bank - Rockland, Maine
October 2023

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Triangle Gallery - Rockland, Maine
December 2023

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To everyone that supported and encouraged me, and to everyone that took the time to go to these shows - I am so grateful. And to the special ones that allowed me the opportunity to share my work - you are so kind, I can’t thank you enough.

And if you have a space that could use a few bird friends to liven it up, do not hesitate to get in touch with me! Send an email to lily.k.hamill@gmail.com.

Here's to more to come in 2024!

Progression of a portrait

A glimpse behind the scenes! Lately, my bird portraits typically go through three phases on their way to completion.

First the sketching and portrait painting with acrylics… Well, I suppose before that is choosing the subject, researching classifications and images of the bird and planning the composition. Then a traditional portrait painted in acrylic.

Second, spray painting the background. This harkens back to a senior project in high school where I spray painted the school’s steel drums with a stencil pattern. I hand cut stencils or use plants to finish the negative space. And lots of tape to protect the main character.

The final phase, and most tedious, the finish treatment. Having used this technique to finish many butcher block kitchen counters during renovation projects, I experimented with an old cormorant portrait, loved the final surface and haven’t looked back. The process is not for the faint of heart - you have a short time frame to manipulate the medium before the chemical reaction causes the surface to harden. And did I mention you have to use a heat gun or torch? 48 hours to cure (harden) and the piece is finished!

There you have it! A finished portrait.

If you’re interested in a piece or commission, don’t hesitate to contact me! And please stop by my show at the Triangle Gallery in Rockland, Maine for the month of July!

From blah 1BR to quirky furnished rental!

Wall to wall carpet, linoleum, janky light fixtures, and beige on beige on beige… need I go on?

This one bedroom, one bath in Camden was a fun renovation and a great opportunity to get a little more creative with the design process. I even got to stage it with my collection of random furniture I’ve been squirreling away for years!

The unit is now a short term rental, so if you’re looking for a great space for your next weekend getaway - I got you! Scroll to the end of this post for a link to the booking page.

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First impressions are everything, so this entry way needed some serious LOVE.
See ya later carpeted stairs, hello nickel-gap! We laid tile and gave the stairs a hand-painted treatment to create a faux patina effect.

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It wouldn’t be a “Lily rehab” without bead-board and butcher block. We made this custom vanity from cabinet bases to match the kitchen and I epoxied the counter. A vessel sink is quickly becoming another one of my go-to moves because they look FANCY and they do a good job of keeping water away from the countertop.

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Navy walls in the kitchen brought depth while the butcher block counters kept it feeling warm and cozy. Repurposed doors were used to create a refrigerator nook - this might be a new signature move for me because I am IN LOVE with how it turned out.

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This bedroom came a long way from a “blah” space to a quirky, eclectic room. The awkward bench became a perfect reading nook, the two tone walls make the space feel cozy and clean and once again… REPURPOSED doors created an accent piece for the bed. (If you’re counting, that’s 5 up-cycled doors in this apartment!)

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This one bedroom, one bath apartment in downtown Camden is now available for short term rentals! Click the button below to check availability and book your next getaway!

Luce Homestead renovation - final chapter

FINALLY got the chance to get my hands on the last apartment in this 6-unit. So many original details to be salvaged, renewed and repurposed!

Scope of work included widening a few door ways to improve the flow, utilizing dead-space to create a bigger bathroom, laying new flooring, painting ALL surfaces and new finishes/fixtures.

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Hidden behind all that bead-board is about 7 layers of 50+ year old wallpaper… At some point you have to cut your losses (and save your fingernails) by covering instead of removing.

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This vanity is an original center-bead base cabinet that I removed from the original kitchen and repurposed in the bathroom.

Topping with butcher block is a inexpensive countertop option and using a vessel sink allows you to use any sort of base you want without worrying about making room for the sink basin fitting inside.

Dead-space was also utilized to increase the size of the bathroom… we even found the servant’s stair-case under the bathtub!

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The apartment had an an awkward layout since it housed the original scullery kitchen so I moved the kitchen into the adjacent room to accommodate modern appliances and allow us to keep all the original built-ins in place.

Bead-board in the kitchen is easy to clean for unit turnovers and matches the original built-ins I kept in place.

The painted white walls were also covered in wallpaper but I took the skim-coating approach to finishing those.

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If you’re curious about skim coating over wallpaper or how to epoxy butcher block, stay tuned for my next blog post.

You CAN do it yourself, it’s really not THAT scary.

Recent portraits

A few pet portraits went to their forever homes recently!

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I mean, come on, those ears?! Worked from separate photos for this double portrait, luckily these two have their own Instagram page so I had a lot of material to work from!

Shark and Newt, 24”x24” acrylic on panel

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Never have I ever painted a hairless cat, but I couldn’t say no to the challenge… or Wednesday’s facial expression.

Wednesday, 18x18” acrylic on panel

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Finally remembered to document the process on this portrait of Blueberry, a lot of layers go into these pieces!

Blueberry, 20x20” acrylic on panel

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Just like pets aren’t limited to dogs and cats - neither are my portraits!

Velveteen, 20x20” acrylic on panel

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If you would like a portrait of your beloved sidekick - don’t hesitate to get in touch!

New-build gets some personality!

Thankfully my interior design projects aren’t limited to grimy multi-unit overhauls… SOMETIMES I get asked to work some magic on a personality-less, never been lived in new build! 

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Julia and Sara’s house was just boring, white on gray on gray.  And being Julia’s big sister, I couldn’t allow her to call that space their FIRST home!

For the kitchen we added a tile backsplash, new cabinet hardware, nesting bar stools to save on space and painted the back side of the island.  

The living room got an amazing accent wall in a BEAUTIFUL color (if you ask me), and we followed the geometric design to tie into the shapes of the backsplash and bar stools.  

The stairs got a fun paint job by Julia and I did 3 murals throughout the house - the powder room, and the master bedroom & bath.

If you’re on a tight budget after sinking your life savings into just buying your house… don’t fret, there are TONS of things you can do to for not much dough to turn it into YOUR home.

And if you need help, shoot me a message! One can never have too many creative projects!

Bird boxes

If nothing else, the pandemic has forced us to step up our resourcefulness - so when the local art supply shops ran out of panels and the on-line stores were slow to restock, I went on the hunt for new surfaces!

Always a fan of up-cycling, cigar boxes have made great new material to continue the exploration of avian portraiture. And lucky for me, I have a few cigar smokers within my network so supply is not an issue!

Do you want a bird box for your treasures? You’re in luck, they’re all for sale! All boxes are all different sizes and have functioning hinges + latches. $95 each. Call dibs on yours using the form below.

(Not sure of the bird species, just describe their coloration or the box color!)

Painting is for the BIRDS!

“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”

Why birds?

I started painting birds 11 years ago during a dark and lonesome time in my life - as crazy as it sounds, they were my companions. They’re curious, they’re cautious, very busy, always on the move and attending to something.  Birds have this relatability that not all other animals have, it’s also easy to humanize their traits and quickly they become your “friends.” What started out as “cute” chickadees and finches has evolved into large scale, birds with a more dynamic presence. I like to think this metamorphosis of subject reflects my own evolution.

How do you choose which ones to paint?

For the most part, I paint birds I’ve had the privilege of experiencing in the wild. Thanks to our winter travel routines and time spent in the Southwest recently, my bird exposure has increased dramatically. I also take suggestions from bird enthusiasts, flip through birding books and spend too much time googling images of various species. Birds are so diverse, it’s impossible to run out of inspiration and material!

What’s next for the avian portraiture?

I’m not sure! I’d love to share this latest body of work with people, Covid has other plans though. My goal is to come up with a safe space where these pieces (and others) can be viewed. So check back for updates on that!

As far as who I’m working on currently, I have a horned owl, a ruby throated humming bird and an egret in the works!

See a bird you’d like for your home (or a gift)? Fill out the form below and I can provide you with dimensions and details.

Looking for a bird you don’t see? I do commissions - fill out the form below and we’ll make a plan!