Hannah Jensen graduated from Auckland University of Technology
in 2004 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in printmaking and
has transferred her skills to the painted medium in her
postgraduate practice, developing a unique stylistic approach.
Jensen achieves the specific effect of her work by applying
layers of paint to board before employing printmaking techniques
such as intaglio, etching and carving to create thematic content.
The result is a detailed image rendered in negative relief that
emphasises the texture and tonal variations between paint colours
in a topographical manner. Using anywhere between 25 - 75 layers of
paint and up to 5 different colours, Jensen calculates the depth of
each layer to provide the necessary variations of colour, texture
and shadow in the work.
The result of Jensen's artistic process is a re-animation of the
beauty observed in imagery - objects that have caught her eye
(cranes & peacocks, postage stamps, graff stencils) are
plucked
from context, their detail amplified and re-presented.
Jensen has exhibited in solo and group shows in Auckland and
throughout New Zealand, receiving a 2004 nomination for the Mazda
Emerging Artist awards. A notable exhibition at Auckland's Disrupt
Gallery, Jensen collaborated with some of Auckland's most popular
graffiti artists, translating their designs into the carved/painted
medium. As she noted, "I'm not a graff girl, I'm a carver, but what
better way to take graff one step further. Carving is
something you can't just spray over, making a temporary art
permanent, setting it in stone or should I say paint."
Recently, Jensen put her painting aside to pursue another
creative genre and entered the 2009 Wearable Arts Competition. In
collaboration with Terri Patrickson, their entry Te Kotuku
Rerenga Tahi ("The White Heron") was nominated as one of the
finalists. Jensen continues to be very active in the art scene,
producing commissioned work and exhibiting regularly.