Hampton Rodriguez

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, I was profoundly influenced by the intellectual pursuits of the contemporary abstract art movement in my country, Dominican Republic. After exhibiting my work in Spain and Belgium, I arrived in Oregon in March of 2002. Since then, I became a different artist.The focus of my work shifted to capture the idiosyncratic culture of Portland’s diverse neighborhoods; the cadence of people’s lives there, the scenes of cultural clashes, Urban vs. Rural. And the development of images that tap into shared concepts and feelingsIn my recent work, I have been trying to capture the fleeting human expressions of anger and hope, desire, and sadness. My work is egalitarian, expressionist , and filled with people’s mystique. I strongly feel that an artist belongs to the place he lives, a universal evolution of feelings and juxtapose realities that are reflected in my work and my own personal life.