Catherine Hamilton
Hike Leader/ Presenter
About Leader
Catherine Hamilton grew up exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern California, and was pretty much born with a pencil in hand. She began birding at an early age with her father, developing a keen interest in both natural history and art, and started her first ornithological notebook at seven. Somewhat mysteriously her parents encouraged her to continue this behavior, and she is still doing about the same things today.
Catherine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Bennington College. She taught painting and drawing at RISD from 1997-2003, and has taught at other institutions and programs (Bennington College, Mass College of Art, Mass Audubon) throughout the 34 years she has been a professional artist. While working on birding tours, at wildlife refuges, research stations, museum collections, and her Los Angeles studio, Catherine has been following birds around the world. Her fine art can be found in private, corporate, and museum collections in the US and abroad. Her bird illustrations can be found in publications like the Princeton University Press book “The Warbler Guide,” and in journals and magazines such as “Nature,” “Bird Observer,” and “Orion Magazine.” Catherine was featured in the HBO documentary “Birders: the Central Park Effect” and is the U.S Ambassador for Birding for ZEISS Sports Optics.
Catherine loves sharing her passion for both the avian world and the world of drawing with birders and artists of all levels, and believes that anyone can gain insight and greater understanding of the world around them through field sketching and observation.
