Art can be inspired by a myriad of situations and experiences, which is especially evident in the works of Mary Hambleton. After viewing her exhibit, Hard Rain, I could honestly feel the struggle, the optimism, the despair, the hope, and the lack thereof permeating through her artworks. Personally, I believe that reading about Hambleton’s background before viewing her exhibit helped me to have a better understanding of what her work symbolizes. Had I not been informed beforehand that Hambleton fought against melanoma during the time that much of her work was created, I might have only interpreted her paintings to be random bright lines and somewhat creepy PET scans bordered by extinct birds. However, with prior knowledge of her circumstances, her artwork took on a whole new depth of meaning and significance.
The piece which immediately struck me and drew me into it was “Waiting for a Miracle.” Although not as brightly painted as some of the other works, the soft grays and whites were a contrast in their setting. I could see faint outlines of circles passing along the long stretch of canvas, to me creating a shape of a moon passing through its entire cycle. Essentially, I saw this to be a quick passage of time - one that seems to slip through your very fingers like millions of tiny grains of sand. For Hambleton, I interpretted this to be the rapid passage of time after her diagnosis, when everything seemed to speed up and “typical” daily life became completely altered. The title of the piece is also laced with sadness in that as more and more time passes, the likelihood of a miracle happening – her cancer being cured – becomes less and less.
I was honestly very bothered by Hambleton’s “Enough.” Upon seeing it, I felt confronted with feelings of frustration, anger, and torment. While her other pieces incorporate vertical parallel lines of alternating shades of colors, this one encompassed blobs of rough paint mounds punctured by nails and shards. It has an aggressive tone that is immediately communicated, also translating Hambleton’s personal struggle in dealing with the acceptance and treatment of her cancer. As I continued to look at it, I found it strangely grotesque and depressing that someone had to undergo such a stressful and trying situation, yet could still express that struggle in art form.
In direct contrast to “Enough,” I perceived “Lucky” to be quite optimistic, perhaps during a period where Hambleton’s hopes were high and she had faith that she would be able to defeat the melanoma before the melanoma defeated her. Unlike many of her other pieces, “Lucky” incorporated much warmer and earthier colors into its color scheme. There were oranges, yellows, greens, and browns – each seemingly giving off a sense of warmth and security that can be derived from nature. I discovered that several of her other artworks had colors that appeared artificial – shocking pinks, neon blues, and electric yellows – and projected a feeling of happiness Hambleton wished she had. Yet with “Lucky,” the colors seemed natural and to flow wholeheartedly across the canvas which, to me, appeared much more authentic and honest as a reflection of her present emotional and mental state.
Finally, the piece “Hard Rain” (for which the exhibit was named after), caught my attention and made me think deeply about Hambleton’s phsycial plight. Topped with a square picture of one of her PET scans, the painting continues down on a larger square canvas where streaks of off-white paint are seen connecting the two shapes – almost as if painted on accident. However, when taking the title into consideration, those streaks became raindrops in my mind, and then eventually tears. I felt that this piece best emphasized the strenght it takes to face something of such magnitude as battling cancer, while also humanizing her work. No one can be strong all of the time. For that reason, I interpretted to PET scan (a representation of herself) to be connected by rain and tears to her “hard” fight.