By Beth Stewart
This is the fifth in an ongoing series in which The Beat Magazine 2025 takes readers “Behind The Scenes” to meet the talented creative individuals who make the London area such a vibrant arts and culture community.
In this segment, Beth Stewart profiles Visual Artist Ryan Boris Hamilton.
(Pictured: Ryan Boris Hamilton, “Woman in Glasses”, mixed media on birch wood panel, 40 by 30 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.)
Ryan Boris Hamilton is primarily a portrait and figure artist, but he explores other subjects as well. While his work varies in style, it typically starts with an acrylic base to which he adds mixed-media elements, such as drawing, wallpaper and fabric. Through layering colours and textures, he finds new ways of “framing” his subjects.
He has now worked as a professional artist for 25 years and has shown across Canada.
The BealArt graduate, who specialized in classical painting techniques, printmaking and sculpture, has lived in Toronto and Vancouver before returning to London. While in Vancouver, he wrote and illustrated a book of poetry. “The Lark, the Trees, the Stars and Me” (2012) is available on Amazon.
(Pictured: Ryan Boris Hamilton, “Woman in Hat”, acrylic on birch wood panel, 24 by 18 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.)
Hamilton has a natural urge to create. He pushes himself to the limit and strives to make each finished piece a “favourite” that must then be surpassed.
He says portraits are challenging as small mistakes have a huge impact. Consequently, it is rewarding when he nails it, and clients are thrilled with portraits of loved ones.
Hamilton was recently part of the London Artists’ Studio Tour. He is an Ontario Arts Council grant recipient and is presently working towards a solo show of his work from the last five years.
Ryan Boris Hamilton is currently in the top 100 for the 2026 Kellogg’s Art Competition. His mixed media on birchwood panel “Man on a Bench” invites viewers to engage with the subject. The figure looks off at something unseen that prompts him to smile, whilst the background is a busy and playful mix of patterns, textures, fabrics and shapes.
(Pictured: Ryan Boris Hamilton, “Man on a Bench”, mixed media on Russian birch wood panel, 36 by 24 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.)
He is active on Instagram at: ryanborishamilton
By Beth Stewart
Beth Stewart is a writer, educator, and visual artist. She has a B.A. and a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and a Diploma in Art Therapy from Western University. Beth has worked as an Art Therapist with Canadian war veterans and as a Secondary School Teacher of art and English for the TVDSB. She retired in 2024.
Beth was the arts editor at Scene Magazine from 2004 to 2006. She founded Artscape Magazine in 2006 and served as its editor until 2008. In addition, Beth wrote on the arts for Lifestyle Magazine from 2006 to 2017 and served as the copy editor for The Beat (in print) from 2009 to 2013.
As a visual artist, Beth works mainly in dry media and favours coloured pencil. Over the past decade, Beth’s focus has been on wild and domestic birds. Beth is a member of the Coloured Pencil Society of America, the Gallery Painting Group, the Eclectic Collage Collective, the Lambeth Art Association, and a founding member of the Coloured Pencil Artists of Canada group.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363
The Beat Magazine 2025 