My art practice typically consists of oil painting on prepared paper, and an exploration and study of everyday objects and their physical relationships to each other.
I am most often lost in the process of painting. A period of introspection and the pursuit of personal passions has led to looking more closely at the intimate forms and spatial harmonies present in still life painting.
My work is an examination of different everyday items often in harmony but not without some tension. The painting process is an experimental conversation, and the use of oil paint showcases the outstanding facility with which fusion of tones or colour can be achieved.
With regards to subject matter, its true that still life painting has fallen in and out of favour several times over in the recorded history of art, however it has consistently endured. This is of course entirely due to the skill of the artist, Picasso, Lichtenstein, Cézanne, Renoir, to name but a few, and their ability to make even the most mundane objects transform into masterpieces.
I very much pursue and enjoy the elevation process that can come from placing an object of ordinary use and value into a piece of high art.
Valerie Hannan
2022