Art is definitely not my strong suit as I even struggle with simple paint by number. Yes, I have bought those kid’s sets as an adult and yes, I really have struggled. So, I am very enamored with Hannah Hancock and her natural artistic talent though she humbly describes herself as “a professional mixed media artist.” I describe her as an incredible gift to the art world.
Early childhood drawing of her father
Even though she says, “I’m still trying to find my voice as an artist,” Hannah’s art is pretty distinctive, starting as a 2-year old child with her first drawing of her father. She said her mother expected scribbles, however the drawing had all the proper anatomy, so it hung on the kitchen cabinets until Hannah framed it a couple years ago.
Not only was being an artist encouraged and nurtured by her family, but Hannah always excelled with art in school even receiving entrance into the Governor’s School for the Arts during her sophomore year of high school. She related a funny story from a high school defiant phase when she tried to fail art by turning in a torn piece of canvas as an art project. She was so good at even bad art that she earned an “A” in the class.
After high school, she attended Maryville College on a full art scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and is now multi-tasking with her artistic skills.
A piece called “Autumn Hazy Scrapebook”
When not using her knowledge and passion of art to assist customers at Jerry’s Artarama where she is the manager, Hannah is teaching workshops in a variety of art and crafts centers throughout the area. She is currently displaying work at Fountain City Art Center during its members’ show as well as at the mayor’s office art show by the Art and Culture Alliance. Additionally, she has participated in numerous regional art exhibitions throughout her life in East Tennessee and won multiple awards.
In refining her style, Hannah says she is “fascinated with traditional Appalachian craft and it being used in a fine arts setting, thoughts of memories and moments and growing up in unconventional ways, such as my abstracts based off of color impression of memories.” I love watching Hannah evolve in her journey creating beautiful, reflective, and introspective pieces of art.
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