Early 2014, I was introduced to the works of J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) and was moved by his ability to capture the mood of nature in his later atmospheric paintings. Painting in his style, I was able to focus on the dynamic qualities of light; how it bounced, spread, and seeped according to its surroundings - these characteristics changed the way I handled paint. The paint became light, the process became my art. I wanted my paintings to evoke the emotions people feel when confronting nature—without painting nature itself. Later, I found myself moving away from Turner’s style to my own. Reflexively, my previous studies in expressive/gestural paintings and drawings gave this series of work an identity different from Turner’s.
Hannah Han is a senior at Lehigh University where she double majors in architecture and art. She has studied painting under Professor Berrisford Boothe for three consecutive years. After Lehigh, she will continue her education pursuing a Master in Architecture at Columbia University fall 2015.
