Starbucks vibrant new merch collection radiates joy and energy
By Heidi Peiper • August 21, 2024 • 3 min read DOWNLOAD ASSETS SHARE Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare in email
Rex Sterling Hamilton’s colorful drinkware collection, the latest in Starbucks Artist Collaboration Series, arrives in Starbucks stores in August.
One of the first things you notice about Rex Sterling Hamilton’s art is the color – hypersaturated reds, purples, blues and golds so vivid they are almost electric. The artist from Austin, Texas believes that color can shape the way we see and perceive the world.
“You see a lot of color growing up in Austin,” he said. “I feel like that made an imprint on me and how I make art. I hope people feel happy and excited when they see this collection, like there’s a lot of energy radiating off them.”
“I think anytime you have an artistic career, you have to delve a little bit into something otherworldly to pull out that inspiration; to go down a path you can’t see.” The painter, muralist and digital artist is the latest contributor to the Starbucks Artist Collaboration program. Three pieces of drinkware featuring his work will be available in Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada this month, while supplies last. Whether he’s painting a 90-foot mural or creating new tumbler designs, the subjects of his art are rich in meaning.
“When I first started my artistic journey, I would find symbols a lot,” he said. “I think anytime you have an artistic career, you have to delve a little bit into something otherworldly to pull out that inspiration; to go down a path you can’t see.”
Share This Image 24-ounce plastic cold cup
The wildflowers of Texas adorn Hamilton’s 24-ounce plastic cold cup, with a violet bluebonnet (its official state flower) as the star of the show. Even though he often incorporates flowers as part of his work, it wasn’t until he found some old family photos that he realized the reason why.
“When I was a child, we would go to the botanical gardens a lot. I almost forgot but we found these old photos of us going there often, and it must have really made an impact. That's the really beautiful thing about art, you start to do things first and then you uncover why you're doing them as it goes along,” he said.
A green ribbon (an ode to his son Emerald) is like a frequency line tying the visual elements together. “It's a way to give more motion to the piece, so it's not so static,” he said. “And it's also a way to show our interconnectedness, like a harmony that's going through each of us.”
Share This Image 12-ounce ceramic tumbler
Hamilton’s tabby cat, Ammee, is the subject of his ceramic tumbler design, who died just before the cup designs were finished. She appears just as she did when she watched him work in the studio – except he added just the tiniest smile. “She had been with me my entire artistic journey. When I see this, it’s an ode to her. I have become a father and a husband, and I was shedding that part of my past where I would spend countless hours by myself painting in the studio. It’s expressing this idea of almost, like, a spirit guide for the transition.”
Share This Image 16-ounce stainless steel tumbler
The red cardinal for Hamilton’s stainless steel tumbler was inspired by a two month cross-country road trip he took in his 20s. “Everywhere I would go, anytime we would stop somewhere, I would see this recurring symbol of the cardinal – whether it was an actual cardinal or a little stuffed animal,” he said. “And for me, I would always use that as a symbol that I was on the right track.”
The juxtoposition of peaceful images and vibrant color creates a feeling of harmony and optimism within each ofthe designs.
“These were always symbols that helped me along the way, and they always helped me get back to where I needed to go,” he said. “If I can help instill an ounce of that in anybody who is holding the cups, that is the goal.”
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