Jane Hamilton Fine Art | 3/18-3/31 | Tucson, AZ

30 Years of Art

Jane Hamilton Fine Art celebrates its milestone 30th anniversary with an exhibition March 18 to 31.

In the summer of 1979, while living at a campsite in Taos, New Mexico, Jane Hamilton had an encounter that changed her life. One evening a friend asked her what she was going to do when the winter came and she had to move back into town, but she didn’t have an answer. “The friend said to me, ‘why don’t you pray about it,’” recalls Hamilton. “It stuck with me, and a few days later I did a little prayer…asking for fun, creative, interesting work.”Jane Hamilton Fine Art has been located at its Skyline Drive for more than 10 years.

Inside the gallery visitors will find a mix of artwork from highly realistic to sculptural art.When Hamilton moved into town she began working for storeowners whenever they needed help in their shops or days off. Art dealer Jim Parsons had heard about her “sitting” for businesses, and asked Hamilton if she’d be interested in working for him while his administrator was on vacation in New York for two weeks. At first Hamilton hesitated because she didn’t know the gallery business, but after their paths crossed a few more times, she agreed to watch the gallery two days each week.Tom Murray, With the Autumn Aspens, oil on linen, 12 x 16"“I walked into the gallery, and I had an epiphany,” Hamilton says. “I felt totally at peace, that feeling of I’m home.” At the gallery, collectors were coming in and talking about their collections, and Hamilton ended up selling a few paintings. Parsons’ admin never returned from New York, and he told Hamilton she should stay on at the gallery because you can’t teach anyone how to sell art—you either have it or you don’t. She worked in the gallery for over five years before relocating to Arizona. She soon opened her first gallery in Bisbee, Arizona, 30 years ago.Mary Sherwood, Let the Sun Shine, fused glass and steel, 72 x 30"In 2001 Hamilton made the move to Tucson where she opened at the Joesler Village before relocating to a large corner showroom on Skyline Drive in 2009. Hamilton has built a dynamic roster of artists that doesn’t cater specifically to one demographic, allowing collectors of all types to find exactly what they’ve been looking for. “I try to stay eclectic, in the good sense of the word,” Hamilton says. “We have Native American art, we have landscapes, we have just about every style and there’s a lot of outside artwork as well.”Doug Shelton, The Prospector, oil, 40 x 30"To mark her gallery’s 30th anniversary, Hamilton will have a show from March 18 to 31. A gallery celebration will take place opening night from 4 to 7 p.m. The exhibition includes artwork on view by a number of the gallery artists including paintings by her husband, Tom Murray, who is recognized for his realistic Southwest landscapes; glass and steel sculptures by newest gallery artist Mary Sherwood; and the “storybook” paintings of Tucson artist Doug Shelton. —