CDG Interviews Hannah Adamaszek
Posted on June 3, 2013
CDG interviews Hannah Adamaszek for June's artist of the month.
Name: Hannah Adamaszek
Discipline: Painter
Age: 31
Where do you live: Sussex
Where did you study: Bournemouth
Life ambition: To live in the mountains and paint all day.
Who, or what is your greatest influence on your life and art?
I try and capture the feeling of being in my paintings, a state of mind where the beauty and timelessness of the world come into sharp focus. Being outside and pushing myself into new things helps me achieve this and is my biggest influence on painting.
Who is your favourite artist at the moment?
There are so many great artists active at the moment. I love Conor Harrington, Anthony Lister and Etam Cru. They are all fresh with ideas and techniques. Watching them paint gives me new ways to work, some of which work and others are not for me.
Describe a typical day in the studio in no more than 5 words.
So much mess.
Spontaneity or planning?
A bit of both for me, I normally have a general idea on how I want a painting to feel, but spontaneity keeps work fresh.
What do you do in the event of a creative block?
Getting outside going for a run is a great cure, sometime its good to have a complete break and time away for new ideas or that spark of inspiration to come. Deadlines have the same effect.
Do you have a favourite piece of your own work?
I think the most popular piece I have done is Aztec. I’ve had a lot of really positive feedback from people on the look and feel of the work. It’s one that had its challenges as I was painting … There may be at least three other versions of it underneath, but I enjoyed this one a lot. I did it not long after coming back from a skiing trip and was really relaxed whilst painting it; I think my mood often comes through in the piece. I love this quote by Scott Jurek, I think this sums up how I feel about this painting.
"What I was often chasing was a state of mind – a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus."
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
The most challenging part for me is finding what I want to paint, once I know what I want its normally all straightforward from there. Pinterest has been a great way to overcome this, so I normally create mood boards and have a few projects in mind.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I would love to be living in the mountains with a little art studio with time to go and paint around the world.
Please recommend one piece of essential reading.
Thats a hard one, I try to read as much as I can, the Bang Bang Club by Joao Silva is great.
If you could time travel to one era or event, when would you choose?
It would be cool to go back in time so I could have seen Nirvana play.
Tea or Coffee?
Coffee I'm addicted.
Who would be your dream dinner guest?
I would love to go back in time and have dinner with Francis Bacon.
What super power would you have for a day?
I would love to be able to make the sun come out, it's been grey out for way too long.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I'm into Little People at the moment, it's nice and chilled.
Thanks Hannah!- Sinéad
You can see Hannah's work here, and collaborations with Kristin Gaudio Endsley. Sign up to our mailing list for news on Hannah's upcoming solo show.