Hamlett Dobbins

Hamlett Dobbins’ canvases, both small and large, employ pure abstraction and pure painting. He is often described as a "painter's painter" for the manner in which he tackles shape, texture, color orchestration, compositional counterbalancing, and surface layering. His elaborate weaving of shapes and forms results from Dobbins’ intense scrutiny and emotional attachment to the people who inspire each painting. Although each painting is Untitled they also bear a series of initials (i.e. “for D.A.L./T.F.”)—a shorthand acknowledging the person or experience that initiated the artwork.


In 2013, Dobbins was awarded the prestigious Rome Prize, for a year's study and work at the American Academy in Rome. His work has been included in group and solo shows, including the University of Mississippi Museum, Power House, Memphis, Frist Center for Visual Arts, Nashville, Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville, and American Academy in Rome. He has received numerous awards, including a Pollock-Kraser Foundation Grant and the ArtsAccelerator Grant from ArtsMemphis.


Courtesy of David Lusk Gallery