Josh Hamilton first dabbled in drawing in high school art classes and creating cartoons for the Central High School newspaper. But soon, the 34-year-old artist wanted to branch out. Even when he earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, he had other aspirations. "At the time I was in school, graphic design, it wasn't as big of a part of illustration as it is today," Hamilton says. "Illustration was more of a reflection of the things I was interested in instead of strictly fine art." For the last 10 years, Hamilton's mixed-media pieces convey that direction. Combining ink, acrylic and spray-paint stencils for colorful, precisely detailed work, they reflect his illustration training combined with elements of graphic design and architecture. His subjects tend to be birds for their detail and his fond memories of them as a child on his father's farm, but if you're looking for a deeper, secret meaning behind that choice, you probably won't find it. "I try to make more of a statement on strong composition and the design of the piece as a whole," Hamilton says. "My goal is to kind of make things that are creative and just convey a sense of imagination." Josh Hamilton's work is on display at Gallery 7, and he will be a featured artist at the gallery on June 19 and 20.