Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendall Hanna
Hi Kendall, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
From when I was little, my mom instilled in me a love for craft, intricate details, and hand-woven goods and furniture. We’d go to City-Wide Garage Sale or Uncommon Objects and seek out those pieces together for the thrill of discovering new objects, patterns, and designs. I also luckily inherited my father’s curiosity and love for learning new things and skills.
In elementary and middle school, I also had an amazing art teacher who really inspired me to lean into my creativity and love of art. In high school, I had the artist canon event of multiple art teachers telling me my art was not good enough which sparked a little fire and led me to Art at the University of Texas at Austin, although I transferred into design because I was excited about how tight-knit the program was!
The year after I graduated, my mom found out she had breast cancer. I was working part-time for a small design agency while helping take care of her. After she recovered I started working part-time for a different graphic design agency and assisted an interior designer because I found myself missing designing things for spaces, not just screens. I was a bit lost and burned out.
During Covid, I was processing some serious grief, trauma, and PTSD. It helped me understand and appreciate the importance of play and doing things just for fun. So I started playing with things in different mediums. One day I was looking at photos of woven furniture while I was playing with scraps of paper I painted for a previous project. I saw a weave I really liked and it was like a lightbulb moment. I decided to recreate that weave with the scraps and loved it.
Around the same time, my sister asked me to make a piece of art for her house. I knew I wanted the piece to feel like her and bring life to the space but didn’t know how I wanted to make that happen until I had my “aha!” moment. A few months later after designing and tinkering, I created a huge woven painting that sits above her fireplace.
My twin sister is the yin to my yang. While I am more introverted, my sister is extremely extroverted and told anyone and everyone about my art, launching her own word-of-mouth campaign that helped turn my woven painting passion project into a career.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has certainly not. I am constantly learning new things and updating daily, and will forever be on that bumpy and windy road of taking two steps forward and one step back. I’m always working on new weave patterns, and the adhesive flow that works for one weave never works exactly the same for the next. I’m also still working on improving my tools and cutting techniques because I spend a lot of time cutting strips of paper that vary in shape and size. My newest and biggest growing pain I’m experiencing is learning how to ship oversized pieces outside of Texas affordably and safely.
I’ve also had some personal challenges to overcome recently. My maternal grandmother passed away, and she was one of my biggest life and creative cheerleaders. This past summer I was in a groove of working on my first collection to release at my first show/pop-up, and while I was finishing up my final pieces, Mononucleosis hilariously reactivated in my body. I was very sick for a few months. My pieces are extremely labor intensive so everything was on pause while my immune system recharged.
Something I find funny about my process is I make these pieces sitting all crunched up on the floor like a little gremlin. I have struggled with chronic migraines since high school and unfortunately, said gremlin posture only exasperates my migraines and neck and shoulder tension. My neurologist uses Migraine Botox as part of my treatment, which has helped in the past. But in September, right when I was feeling better from the Mono, the Botox paralyzed my eyelid and I looked like Big Baby from Toy Story for three months. It completely impaired my vision. Needless to say, that also significantly slowed down my process. Luckily, my partner has been great about reminding me to stretch and he gives me different mobility exercises and routines that help.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create woven paintings that combine my interests in paper, painting, and pattern. I am inspired by daily sensory experiences, interiors, and nature. What I love about weaving is it’s a flow state, and the process brings me back into the present and grounds me. My mind is at peace. I want people to feel that as well and have a moment of calm or joy whenever they look at my work.
I’m an incredibly empathetic person and get excited by the creative challenge of commissions that are inspired by people and their spaces and also feel like an extension of them. I want my art to feel intentional in people’s lives and spaces. Even if their home or space changes, the piece will still feel cohesive. I’m passionate about the opportunity to breathe life into spaces, reignite people’s sense of wonder, and evoke curiosity and playfulness.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I have a really big heart! I love so many things. But at the end of the day, all that matters to me is continuing to grow, to be grateful for the little things, family, friends, loving animals, nature, music, play time, and really yummy food. Also being kind to strangers. In the past, when I have gone through a hard time, tiny moments of kindness have had such a big impact. We never know what other people are going through. Making other people feel seen or a little better makes you feel a bit better!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kendallhannastudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kendallhannastudio/
Image Credits
Elena Reynolds
