Seated behind the desk of the Artworks storefront of Creative Clay is Hanna V. The Member Artist, and a Featured Artist at this year’s Folkfest, is all smiles and full of bubbly energy. One can’t help but notice her gentle enthusiasm and steady dedication to
the arts.
The St. Petersburg artist has been with Creative Clay for about five years and creates her bold, color-infused works with paint, paint markers and pen. Students interested in exploring local artists’ work can view Hanna’s work during the festival.
“Art just pours out of her,” said teacher Polly Edwards, who has known Hanna for three years. Edwards said Hanna has a “big style, with a broad sense of space and color.”
Edwards, who has worked with Hanna on several projects, such as the mixed-media fiber arts collage that hangs in the gallery, said Hanna is able to interpret various artists’ styles and translate them into her own style of painting.
“She’s super-talented and sweet as can be,” Edwards said.
Hanna loves music and finds her inspiration for her pieces in the pages of Teen People magazine. She has created several paintings based on contemporary pop stars and these paintings adorn the walls of Creative Clay’s studio.
When she isn’t creating masterworks, the 23-year-old can be found at the mall. Hanna said she loves to go shopping, affirmed by one glance at the various pink rhinestone bracelets decorating her wrists.
The only girl in a family of five brothers, Hanna lives at home with her family. She loves karate and dancing, and her favorite television show is the Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up.”
Music and dancing are a very large part of her world. Among the musicians she enjoys are the Backstreet Boys, Justin Bieber and Jesse McCartney. A pivotal moment in her life came when she attended McCartney’s concert last year at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Hanna, a self-professed member of McCartney’s fan club, met him backstage after his concert.
As she tells the story of when she met him, she smiles a broad smile. She said he gave her a hug and when Edwards asked her if anything else happened backstage, Hanna giggled and said: “He touched my left arm.”
Hanna spends two days a week at Creative Clay. She divides her time between working in the Artworks shop and painting in the studio. To see more of her work, head to Folkfest on October 1 and 2 in St. Petersburg between the 1100 and 1300 blocks of Central Avenue.
For more information, visit: www.folkfeststpete.org.
Photos by Aimee Alexander
