Collection: Hannah Bruce

This is Hannah Bruce calling out to you from very locally and showing you what I’m incredibly passionate about.  Creating high quality art dealing with local scenes and painting outdoors ‘plein air’.

Painting outdoors was where I met The Gallery at ICE.

I was a prize winner for the second time at the Windsor Plein Air painting competition in July 2018. What I’m even more thrilled with is that I won the public vote too.

The development of this new style of working has been a process of three years, with the influence of lots of lovely people, even though they may not know it. Firstly my framer who loves my oil paintings but told me that ink work was of great interest to the public; my town Art society for whom I was Chairwoman 2015-2018 where I saw a huge amount of wonderful inspiring works; In 2015 I attended my first plein air event in the Norfolk Broads and won the public vote for a timed painting at Great Yarmouth; but almost more importantly it is here I met Jim who runs the Two Rivers Paper Making Company. It is his paper that makes my work so unique.

During these influences I started adapting and trialling ink works of animals and places.  But it’s the places on location that have been most inspiring. They capture the imagination of the viewers and while people wonder why I do the abstracted background they are curious how the final outcome will look and watch me for quite a while. There is a sense of order and chaos in what I’m doing, of abstract and realism – so I’ve coined the phrase Abstrealism.  I suppose it is a magical process to view and having been a teacher of Art for many years I have no problem with people watching me.  In fact I probably thrive on it – hence why I’m really into doing plein air festival events, the more pressure the better. Sometimes the weather is not forgiving and it’s impossible to paint in a water media and so I hit the studio.

I’m passionate about stretching the boundaries of materials and what it is possible to create. I’m an innovator. I’m currently processing film of me making art.  It would be lovely to have you follow and watch what I’m up to. You are very welcome to take photos of my work to inspire your family/friends.