Artist Spotlight : Hannah Stouffer

The Beautiful and Talented, Hannah Stouffer (Grand Array)

The contrary notions of darkness and light and the ever-present existence of the two drives Los Angeles based illustrator, Hannah Stouffer, to explore the greatest struggle that we endure, our own imminent contrasts. Facing the inevitable oppositions between love, lust and gore, decadence, wrath and fate, Stouffer’s work is an opulent, elegant and beautifully intricate mixture of decoration, nostalgic animalia and emotion. Her densely packed compositions consciously recall classical and current attractions, creating cohesively opposing arrays of imagery and embellishment. She focuses on the contrasts that exist and occur within each destined plan, and merges them together with a high regard for balance and rich, repetitive adornment.

Where do you find your inspiration? 

I search for it, I encounter it by accident, unexpectedly, flea markets, thrift stores, vintage publications, magazines and paper goods, google images, the inside of my own eyelids, travel, experience, my amazing friends and family, the forest, foliage, a good view, a bad view, desolation, the density of the city, fucking metal, a lullaby, gangster rap, RnB and a nice hot shower. 

Describe a little bit of your process of creating your artwork.

 I’m constantly collecting, imagery, things I tear out, I take pictures on my phone, pictures of pictures, pictures of books, pictures of video, clips of video, I keep a sketch book , a list book, an idea book, I write on post-it notes, receipts, napkins, I xerox the books I already have, I collect books and tend to purchase anything that I find might at some point be relevant to my work or an upcoming installation.  I then I put it all in files, folders on my desktop, boxes, the trunk of my car, or I forget where I put it… then when it comes time to create I try to remember what just happened and just start.  Nothing is ever going to happen unless you just fucking do it.  I rarely sketch, I rarely plan, I just begin… its all in my brain somewhere and I know it will eventually come back around- and my feeling varies, hangovers, coffee, my emotional state all modify what I am capable from day to day- sometimes its accidental watercolor spills, sometimes I can drink a bunch of coffee and stare at the same page- illustrating the same pattern receptively for hours… the method is the method- its all determined somehow, pre-determined maybe… I try not to think about it too much and let it just take over.

Any influence from other artists?

I always see things I am attracted to, color ways, use of line, technique, composition, imagery I’d like to incorporate and engage in my work, but I try not to follow too closely.  I’d rather reference things nobody has seen yet or aren’t expecting… things that are new to me- thats what influences me the most.

Current projects or upcoming events/shows? 

Always. 

Describe some of your pillows from the collection.

The majority of the works from the pillows with Andrew Sebastian are from a series entitled ‘Vast Happenings’ that I completed for a show in New York late last year… the theme runs pretty deep with most of them, a dark, vast, void- the inevitable and the unknown… mysteries, magic… 

Shout outs? 

To everyone in my life, that has been in my life, that understands, that has been through it, gone through it with me, loved it and drank a whiskey, I love you.