Hannah Donelan, originally from Venice, Florida, brings a fresh perspective to contemporary art through her etchings and oil paintings blending realism and surrealism. Her artistic journey is driven by a desire to confront and discuss challenging topics like disabilities, personal human development/ experiences, and trauma, aiming to spark meaningful conversations about resilience and adversity.
For Donelan, creating art is a way of navigating and processing personal struggles. Inspired by her own resilience, Hannah's paintings reflect the depth of human emotion and the complexities of overcoming hardship. In her artistic process, Hannah explores a range of tones, from greyscale to vibrant colors, symbolizing periods of her journey from introspection to renewed vitality.
Her art confronts viewers with difficult subjects and encourages open dialogue about issues that are often deemed as taboo. Her etchings and paintings offer a raw and unfiltered perspective on the human condition, fostering empathy and understanding in a world that often shies away from discomfort.
Statement from the Artist
As a painter and printmaker I compose a wide body of realistic and surrealistic works with the overall intent to create a conversation, whether it be positive or negative in reaction to the said piece, the importance of having conversations regarding subject matter presented in compositions is so vital to what I aim to achieve. Topics in which I strive to present can be characterized as the human experience and psyche, what we as human beings, experience, ranging from mental health, disabilities, whether mental or physical, the analyzation of human anatomy, emotions, to even personal experiences. The subject matter in which I touch on is immensely a part of who I am as an artist but also as a human being.
I plan to share my knowledge of painting and printmaking with future emerging artists seeking education. Creating a platform which is not intimidating and seemingly more easily approachable is vital to creating an environment where discussing sometimes heavy topics may take place more comfortably without deviating from the important reasons in which they may be discussed.