Elspeth Hamilton and one of her works [Francis Ware]

FROM the philosophies of Roman emperor and Stoic Marcus Aurelius to nuclear fusion, from considering the atom to human impact on the environ­ment, architect, artist, writer and philosopher Elspeth Hamilton knots together a number of disciplines to create a thought-provoking question over what we consider to be reality.

In her new book Humpty and the Cuckoo – accompanied by exhibition at the Highgate Scientific and Literary Institute spanning 40 years of her work – she dives deep into theories of time and space. They are big questions, and ones she has spent a lifetime considering as she puts paint on canvas.

“In the West we take the concepts of space and time for granted,” she says. “They are essential to define a material world, and help us on our way consuming and wasting the Earth’s resources.

“But is there a different way of understanding the context in which we find ourselves?”

The collection of essays – which includes her paintings of seascapes – considers how we define reality and the tools we have for understanding the world around us.
Elspeth has painted all her life, but it was while lecturing in Australia three decades ago that her art was first shown.

“I did some studies of the Outback, deserts and droughts,” she said. “I used them to illustrate lectures.”

Elspeth studied architecture at Liverpool University and taught architectural design. It cultivated her interest in the use of space. With no formal art training, she is self-taught.

“I ‘copied’ old masters to introduce my children to the history of art and to cover walls,” she says. “In doing so I appreciated the use of symbolism and composition.”

Her painting focuses on seascapes and riverscapes as well as portraits, her semi-abstract pieces inspired by visits to Cornwall and Bodmin Moor, where she has designed and built a prototype set of educational buildings for community uses.

“I use mixed media and I always create a drawing in situ before finishing the work,” she said.

“I have lived on the coast and one’s environment affects the way one paints.”

Taking what to one person might look like an “empty” vista and making it something tangible is another aspect of her work. This is apparent through her more abstract pieces, showing land and sea through her eyes but are recognisable to others as her interpretation of what she has seen, without the need for explanation.

“I have always seen space as ‘full’, that is, not void,” she says. “That is why, if you want to understand yourself and reality, I advocate drawing directly from life without filters.

“Painting photography or film can be wonderful interpretations  of reality, communicating through their creators internal discipline and integrity. Although I have studied theory of architecture and other subjects, my interest is to find the common ground which is the sense rather than the data accumulated.”

Her essays touch on issues that ask the reader to step away from their usual thought processes and delve behind accepted wisdoms.

“I wanted to look at concepts used to describe how the world works – for example, solid and void, fission and fusion – then connect the figurative stories found in the myths to similar structures found in science,” she says.

“Because I am an artist, an architect with years of projects behind me, I have always drawn and painted as a means to communicate. And philosophical writing is not meant to be easy – it is an invitation to think.”

Elspeth mixes Greek philosophy and myths with contemporary science.

“The former has actions between figurative characters, the latter with the abstracted symbols of mathematics and physics,” she adds.

“The book juxtaposes these approximations of the ‘truth’.”

The road from ancient philosophy to today travels past James Lovelock’s Gaia Principle, describing how the planet is a living entity with every single thing interconnected. It is a concept Elspeth recognises in her work.

“The Greeks founded Western civilisation on a genuine belief that the atom was the smallest possible entity,” she adds.

“They made a virtual reality where knowledge is ordered and described through language to approximate to the truth. Poets go further, by touching the soul. They see through outside appearances. Architects and artists, who employ ratio and proportion to facilitate a sense of beauty, developed aesthetics. The ‘glue’ that holds these disciplines together is energy – energy running through every cell of every living thing.”

Elspeth seeks to describe the universality of art and science, and how these two disciplines usually seen as wholly different, are created by a same intangible substance she defines as “energy”. It is a big topic to bite off, and one not easily understandable – but Elspeth’s stunning art is a beautiful gateway into philosophical thinking.

• Humpty and the Cuckoo. By Elspeth Hamilton, Rightangle Publishing, https://right­angleinternational.com/