As an 1199SEIU member and recreation therapist at Newark Extended Care in New Jersey, Glenn Hamilton uses games, arts, and crafts to help the elderly and disabled residents maintain their physical and mental wellbeing. His impressive artistic and creative talent comes in handy in this line of work, and is something he has cultivated over many years.

When Glenn isn’t on the job, he is busy pursuing his lifelong passion of painting. During the month of September, Glenn held an exhibit showcasing his art at Essex County College in Newark, NJ, his alma mater.

Glenn primarily paints in acrylic, a medium he prefers because it dries quicker than oil paint, but he also uses a variety of other materials such as markers, aerosol paint, and recycled items like soda can tabs and shoelaces. He’s a proponent of experimentation and doesn’t stick to a single style.

There is much variety in his paintings and drawings—from colorful, abstract, jazz-inspired portraits to bold, black-and-white fashion sketches (Glenn holds a degree in fashion from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts).

Glenn became interested in art around the age of 9, but says that he didn’t have enough paper to draw on when he was young. “My parents thought I was just making a mess of things,” he says with a laugh. “So what I would do when they weren’t looking is take apart picture frames that were hanging around the house and draw on the back covers.”

“What’s amazing to me about painting is being able to transform a blank canvass into something beautiful,” Glenn says. “I use my art as a way to express to the world the love that I have inside of me.”