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Interview with Hannah Stoney - "seasonal moods or tones that become really important to me"

Interview with Hannah Stoney - "seasonal moods or tones that become really important to me"

Posted by Maz on 26th Aug 2014

An Interview with Hannah Stoney

Hannah Stoney is one of our newest artists,  a self-taught British artist, fresh back in the UK after a few years in Austin, Texas.

She makes large-scale, handmade paper-cuts as well as undertaking numerous drawing projects (botanicals and buildings mostly).

http://thethinks.com

Photo of Hannah Stoney credit: Raine Chism

Where do you work best?

So far, my studios have either been small, stolen corners or the family dining room table and so I'm pretty good at working wherever I can find space. I'd imagine that I'm going to really, really enjoy having my own studio when it happens.

What inspires your art?

I normally have these seasonal moods or tones that become really important to me and I want to manifest them. It's a bit of an abstract answer (!) but to give you an idea -- last summer it was all about the forest and the nighttime, Gothic tones, Victorian theatre sets, lepidoptera and taxidermy. Another year I was really into super heroes and everything was really bright and graphic-y. Like a lomo on acid.


How did you get into paper-cutting?

I saw one of Rob Ryan's early books a few years ago and fell in love with it. At the time, I was writing more poetry and I was mostly fascinated by the way that he used the form alongside words. I tried it out for a couple of writing projects I did but for years, I was mainly painting, drawing and writing.

One day, I was looking at this bird I'd drawn and I suddenly saw how I could make it into a paper-cut which led to a whole series and it grew and grew from there. So I came back to the form via a lot of other things.


If money was no object, what would you make?

I'd probably get some of my pieces laser cut in metal on a grand scale and tour them around sculpture parks.


And finally, if you described yourself in 5 words, what would those be?

Hard question to answer without sounding like a bad lonely hearts ad! But I guess; creative; thoughtful; ridiculous; disciplined and sensitive.