Winner of “HerStory” 2021 “Outstanding Woman Artist Achievement Award”

Carol Hanna, carolhanna.com, creates works of art inspired by the colors and songs of birds. Her artwork has been in many exhibitions around the U.S. including an exhibition presented by the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition juried by Marcela Guerrero, Assistant Curator at Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, and Roy G Biv Gallery, among others. Her art can be found in many private and permanent collections that include: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; the C.S. Mott Children’s and Women’s Hospital of the University of MI; and Eastern Michigan University; among others. The artist received a BFA and  MA in Studio Art, both from Eastern Michigan University.

Numerous publications have featured her work. They include Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine, Detroit News, New Issues of Poetry & Prose Anthology, Western Michigan University, and Studio Visit Magazine, among others. In the Ann Arbor News, writer John Carlos Cantu wrote: “Hanna is providing us with the visual link between science and art — nature and aesthetic.”

Carol’s painting “Rose Breasted Grosbeak’s Song” was selected for the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2020-2021 exhibition in which she received an “Outstanding Woman Artist Achievement Award”, which includes this interview. It is from Carol’s “Geometric Abstract Paintings: Songs of the Birds”.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak’s Song, acrylic and resin on canvas, 24″ x 36″.

RP: Carol, your art is so unusual and mesmerizing. What first inspired you to pursue such a unique creative direction to interpret the songs of birds?

CH: One early morning after a soft rain while on vacation at the beach, it was very quiet as the water dripped off the trees and into that quiet, I heard a bird singing. There was no other sound while the bird sang. When it quit, the world started again with the sounds of the morning. I was transfixed and later that night woke up dreaming that I was going to somehow paint the sound I had heard the previous morning.

RP: Please explain your amazing process.

CH: Usually there are several photos of birds I have on hand as I take photos on a regular basis. From them, I decide on the colors and the bird. Several websites have the bird and also the bird’s song. Next, is a visit to the U/M Bird Division so I can use one of their specimens to match the exact color of the bird to my stack of color papers. Next, I download a sonogram of the bird’s song. The painting is designed with Photoshop. Finally, the canvas is taped into stripes and air-brushed for the soft edges.

RP: What has been the biggest satisfaction you have experienced in your art career?

CH: A show at Cornell. Several of my paintings were shown there for an event they were holding. Cornell was a big help for the sonograms, etc. at that time and I was honored to have them show the paintings and also to keep one for a display in their library.

RP: What reaction would you like viewers of your paintings to have?

CH: A feeling that the painting is a shimmering sound interpretation with an optical vibrating effect of color, rhythm, and the illusion of time. They are about seeing “with” the painting instead of looking “at” it to bring into awareness a fleeting moment in time.

RP: What has been the biggest challenge you have faced creating your art?

CH: Several challenges along the way including installation of a studio, an airbrush booth, and the marketing of the paintings. Perhaps the biggest challenge of all and the most satisfying is the continuous challenge of the work itself. This progression and change is all important.

RP: What is your current project(s)?

CH: Recently I have finished about five paintings of the birds themselves. They are usually of photos I have taken in the backyard and elsewhere. Ink and acrylic ink are used on clayboard. Now, I am working on a new painting of the song of the male cardinal with a somewhat different look than previously. We shall see how it develops.

RP: In addition to your website and studio, where else can we view your art?

CH: Current shows, permanent collections, my studio. Usually, one can find current shows listed under “Exhibitions” on the website: www.carolhanna.com.

RP: Why did you submit your art to “HerStory”?

CH: Renee, I have been familiar with you and Manhattan Arts for quite some time and may even have submitted in the past. However, the word “HerStory” really drew me in as when does one find a show devoted solely to women. The title was a stroke of genius as far as I am concerned.

RP: What advice would you like to offer fellow women artists?

CH: One of my professors was asked what type of art sells? As in, landscapes, portraits, abstract, etc? He replied “None of it!” And yet, he had continuous portrait commissions and other art projects. He woke at four a.m. every morning to do his art. Keep at it, love it, and enjoy it, because it is you.

Visit Carol Hanna’s website carolhanna.com

Learn more about the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2020-2021 exhibition.