These two contemporary Oregon artists offer two substantially different but equally innovative approaches to figurative art. Hamilton, born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1972, found her true home when she moved to Portland in 1996. After painting for almost twenty years, her artistic practice was transformed when she visited a non-traditional textile arts exhibition. From there she was inspired to fuse the two parts of her life that were closest to her—her daily urban environment and her grandmother’s tradition of crochet. Often portraying friends and co-workers from her days in the food-service industry, Hamilton’s work displays a whimsical and affectionate vision of working-class Portland. As her work has progressed, she has taken on other subjects as well, including mug shots from Multnomah County, industrial landscapes of Portland, and full-figure nudes.