Perrysburg, Ohio, is a suburb of Toledo, located along the Maumee River, just above Lake Erie. As a lover of the Great Lakes, I can imagine it must be idyllic, energizing, and vibrant to live there. With a population of a little more than 25,000 residents, opportunities to dive into community abound.
Artist Abigail Bruce-Hamilton loves this community and loves to give back to it. During the pandemic, she created sidewalk art for birthday parties, or to lift people’s spirits.
“During the pandemic I did free chalk art for those who couldn’t do birthday parties or were just feeling down and depressed.”
That takes an incredible heart, and from the video here, reflects incredible talent. Which makes her a worthy candidate for this week’s Feel-Good Friday.
According to Bruce-Hamilton’s website,
She was taught a love for the arts that began with music when she was very young. That love has blossomed into what it is today.
As a self-taught artist, her favorite mediums include; painting with acrylics, watercolors or oils, chalk art, jewelry making and many other hands on things.
She loves bringing joy to everyone near and far and hopes to one day create murals on a larger, more permanent scale!
Bruce-Hamilton decided to start with her own backyard, and wanted to share it with anyone who passed by.
WTOL 11 in Toledo interviewed her about the creative process.
A Perrysburg artist put her brush to work on her backyard fence, not only to freshen it up, but to share it with the entire community.
Abigail Bruce-Hamilton painted a mural of red poppies, yellow jacket bees and green leaves on the side of her fence facing Eckel Junction Road.
Bruce-Hamilton’s mother passed away in June, so she wanted to use a flower that evoked her memory, as well as the memories of those who have suffered loss.
“Poppies seemed like a better sentiment, as like a tribute not just to my mother, but to other people lost.”
Bruce-Hamilton first contacted the Perrysburg Planning and Zoning Division to ensure it was legal for her to do it. A reflection of her own care and integrity to maintain her surroundings. Because it was for beautification, and not for commercial use, the division gave her the green light, and she went work! Bruce-Hamilton has received nothing but outpourings of praise and support for her labor of love.
Bruce-Hamilton’s two sons are also her inspiration.
“My hope is, if they could be like, happy to say, ‘My mom did that!’ You see that art over there? My mom did that.’ “
The final two stanzas from John Keats’ poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn encapsulate the spirit Bruce-Hamilton’s artwork:
‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.’
Keats waxes eloquent about how works of beauty not only outlive us, but embody truth, and massage it deeper with each viewing. Art that reflects this is a gift to the world, just as the artist Abigail Bruce-Hamilton is a gift to the community of Perrysburg, OH.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member