Shape Shifter: Painter Hannah Polskin Dishes on The Art of The Hustle
Artist Hannah Polskin burst onto the Instagram scene with her enigmatic diptychs and triptychs flaunting organic, Rorschach-like shapes in monochromatic palettes. Her like-inducing artworks quickly caught the eye of influencers, art buffs and, of course, interior designs—including, yours truly, Cara Woodhouse.
As Hannah’s art continues to evolve—she’s now experimenting with Burl wood—she’s about to blow up even more as she prepares to transition into other exciting mediums. Hint: Home accessories, anyone?! This artist inspired us so much we couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick her brain about all-things design, travel, fashion, and everything in between.
HERE, HANNAH DISHES
ON HER CREATIVE JOURNEY
Hometown… New York City
Sign… Aries
Coffee or Tea… My mom was born and raised in Zimbabwe, so tea has been a staple for as long as I can remember.
Never without… A tape measure
Signature cocktail… Tequila soda with a wedge of orange
Recent Splurge… A sheet of burl wood, a material I’ve become increasingly interested in exploring.
Favorite curse word… Fuck
If you were a fashion accessory what would you be… As a lover of power tools, it would be a dream to be a Louis Vuitton tool belt.
If you were a piece of furniture what would you be… An Alvar Aalto Artek Bentwood Stool.
Every home needs… A mirror in the entryway—even better if it’s one of mine! It’s a savage move to invite guests over with no way of checking themselves out as they arrive.
Creative muse… Donald Judd in every capacity: the artist, historian, philosopher, and writer.
Favorite museum… Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, which was founded by Donald Judd.
Last trip you were on… Capri, Italy
Trip you’re itching to take... Round Top Antiques Fair in Texas
Last book you read… Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Hotel You’re Dreaming of…
Amangiri in Utah and you know I'll be bringing a little piece of art in my suitcase and photographing her all over the property like Flat Stanley.
Design is… A universal language. Aesthetically, some things just work. Your eye knows it when it sees it. It's instinctual.
Art can... Bring an immense sense of peace. I like to think the organic shapes I paint have a sense of zen to them, but not just for the viewer. The realization of these shapes—getting them out of my head and onto the wood panels—is such a relaxing practice for me. There's something slightly tormenting about having a vision and not being able to flesh it out into reality.
Tell me about your journey to become an artist. Did you study painting?
I attended Savannah College of Art and Design, but I don’t think I truly identified as an artist until recently. After graduating, I started working in consumer insights and trend forecasting. Painting was something I had always loved since I was a child, and as I started again, it became something stable that I was leaning on for support. As I grew more attached to what I was creating, I began to realize it’s what I wanted to do full time. However, it’s the time I spent in understanding consumer shopping habits and the psychology behind purchasing patterns made me realize I could push the boundaries of painting. Understanding how the human mind works pushed me to create unique works for different spaces and ultimately led to my interest in site-specific works, not just paintings on canvas.
Where do these organic shapes come from?
This is something I have been thinking about a lot recently. While the shapes are unique and varying, I think it’s the creative process that interests me the most. My process has changed so much over the years, impacting the shapes along the way. When I first began working with these shapes, painting and creating was a way to pass through a difficult time. In the earlier works you will notice that the ends of the shapes never actually meet. It’s only recently that I realized, as my practice has grown and I’ve become more focused and excited, the shapes have started to meet and close on the ends. There is something deeply personal about the time spent making these works, and the shapes have grown to represent that experience over time.
How do you find inspiration?
Research. I would be nowhere without research. Whether it’s understanding the unique differences between 10 different kinds of wood at the local lumber yard or sorting through odds and ends at a hardware store, it’s research that drives me to push my boundaries and realize new works. For instance, I’ve been working with burl wood recently and my understanding of the different knots and deformations in the tree is an essential part of the creative process and realizing the final work.
I know you’re bi-coastal. What energizes/excites you about each city your call home?
New York will always be home, but LA is exciting because it’s so different from where I grew up. As I began spending more time in LA, I started seeing how vibrant, colorful and energetic the city can be. I never felt this way about New York, and I think you can even see this dichotomy between the two cities in my recent works. As I spent more time in LA, the works began to have less color, complementing the bright LA color palette, but I also began to work with materials beyond the traditional art canvas. I started working with power tools, all types of wood, and other materials I would never have explored in my tiny New York apartment. In that sense, spending time in LA has been very freeing for me.
Tell me about your creative process. What’s the vibe like in your studio?
My home is full of things I’ve decided to create—a kitchen island, mirrors of all shapes and sizes, a mural, ceiling-mounted pieces hanging on chains—and there’s something I love about being surrounded by these site-specific creations and feeling their energies as I begin to realize new pieces. Having a home studio, work-live situation has really impacted my practice. The way a room is arranged, the blank wall spaces that peek out at me, how a shadow streaks across a corner-- I’m constantly getting inspiration for new works from my surroundings.
Talk to me about working with clients. What's the process like when doing custom commissions?
I love collaborating with my collectors and it’s a very important part of the process, from start to finish. My first question is always, can I see a photo of your space? To me, that's everything; that's where it all starts. Seeing a wall in the context of someone's living room will tell me everything I need to know. I've even had FaceTime tours through people's homes that turn into personal, hour-long therapy sessions, or adventures through a collector's closet to decide which colors make them most comfortable. That's one little trick that always seems to work—when a collector is waffling on the color, a peek into their closet usually reveals their palette preferences. From there, I like to provide a Photoshop rendering of a few different works in their space, which is like getting to try the work on. When it comes to custom colors or custom wood, I actually ship swatches so collectors can see it in the flesh and hold it up in their spaces. Finding the ideal design, in the perfect shade, on the exact right wood, in the custom-cut dimensions to suit a collector's space is my idea of heaven.
What do you want people to take away from your work?
I think the energy a certain piece of art can bring to a room is the real acquisition, more so than just the art itself. It's a feeling. I'd love for my collector's to take away a feeling from my work. I like to think the more loops and curves in a piece, the more energy it can bring to a space. In bedrooms, for example, I tend to recommend some of the more solid, less wavy formations that feel more grounding for waking and sleeping every day and night.