January 2013 Cover Cover Artist: Hannah Nino                 

 

 

 

Artist Hannah Nino was born in the U.S border town of Brownsville, TX to two hardworking parents. Since picking up her first crayon at three to painting at six, Hannah’s fascination with art has steered her to pursue a career in the arts. Her determination in obtaining an excellent education has led her to attend the University of North Texas at Denton. She is currently a double major set to graduate in 2014 with a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing and Ceramics. Hannah’s work is inspired by her wonder of not truly knowing her inner self. This wonder has allowed her to pull numerous concepts and themes from her subconscious and materialize them with various media. Her goal is to one day look back at her body of work and finally realize who she truly is.

thalo: In your featured artwork, "The Uncanny Portrait of Jess," we see the subject in an interesting angle. Why did you choose that angle to present the subject?

Hannah Nino:  As any artist who is interested in making a successful portrait, I had to consider my subject. The idea of having a bird’s eye view came from two thoughts, the first is the thought of people initially meeting Jess and noting that she is very short. The other is looking past the lack of height and being presented with a very strong individual who has an amazing character. All of a sudden, picturing Jess sitting still and posing for a portrait is completely out of character. So when I took my reference photo, I kept this in mind as I leaned over and snapped a few pictures when she least expected it.

th:  When did you begin painting? Do you use any other mediums?

HN: I received my first Crayola brand watercolors at the age of six. That was at a time when I really got into watching Bob Ross and I had a good idea of what I wanted to do “every day till I die”. Of course, now I’ve traded in my cheap watercolors for ones that cost me an arm and a leg. It wasn’t till I moved to my current college that I really got into using various mediums. Now I draw on fabric with pastels and embroider it, I rip and sew paper back together to draw on, I paint with liquid graphite, and my recent fixation is working with silk. The list of mediums I’ve used or currently use is extensive. I realize that my knack of trying new things is becoming an obsession.

th: What are some of your biggest challenges as an artist?  What are some of your greatest achievements?

HN: I continually tell myself that in this day and age, there are numerous artists with my talent, who come from a similar background, and have a matched determination in making a living off of their art. This hard reality causes me to question myself, how can I standout? How can I push myself further past the marker? How can I make a living out of my passion when there are other artists in my same position? It is easy to feel dishearten and give up, but as the saying goes, this is how they separate the boys from the men. If you find yourself past this hard reality, most other hurdles that are going to be thrown your way during your career as an artist will seem like tumbleweeds. This thinking ultimately led me to leave my hometown in pursuit of a better art education. I now live in a city that welcomes individuals like me and has a University that pushes me past the marker. I feel that my decision to leave has been my greatest achievement to date and I do not regret any debt I have acquired.

th:Where do you find inspiration for your artwork?

HN: If you can place all my works together in a room, you will find that they are ambiguous self-portraits. The reason behind this is that I turn inward and look at myself and my changing identification. What I find fascinating is that I never really know who I truly am. I can piece together a good guess, but over time, my changing self and identification seems to always be an inspiration for my work. From this basis, the concepts, themes, and series of works are brought out. I get inspired by my views of our current society, the way I tend to desperately grasp onto my heritage, and the gender role I choose to not partake in, amongst other thoughts.

th: Do you have advice for aspiring artists?

HN: If you’ve heard this before, read it, and you’re reading it again, this is crucial advice that you really should consider: turn inward and look at yourself. You may not entirely know yourself, but questions and reasons as to why you do certain things, or your current stand on issues are all great sources of inspiration. After all, art should be a reflection of the artist, so it truly is great advice to look inward.