Artist Biography
Hannah McAnespie is a visual artist from Dracut, Massachusetts. Hannah’s primary focus is oil figure painting. She also uses various mediums such as graphite, block printmaking and digital painting. McAnespie uses dark rich colors and textured brushstrokes to add depth to her work. She works in a realistic style while incorporating stylized illustrative motifs. McAnespie is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Studio Art with a concentration in 2-D at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. During her time at Endicott College, she completed several internships. In the summer of 2023, she had the opportunity to intern with Castle Hill Center for the Arts located in Truro, Massachusetts. Most recently, she worked as an art teacher for grades K-8 at Glen Urquhart School in Beverly, Massachusetts. Currently, she maintains an active studio practice and works as a gallery assistant at the Manninen Center for the Arts at Endicott College
Thesis Abstract
My artwork portrays female figures that have traditionally been disregarded and silenced within mythological narratives. My goal is to amplify the voices of these characters as well as women as a whole. I aim to integrate my personal experiences with womanhood in order to create a series of oil paintings. Each painting represents the divine feminine and the symbolic strength that comes from within. My current project is a series of four oil paintings that depict women from different stories within Greek Mythology. I choose to have each painting symbolize a different story to focus on the women who were denied their time in the spotlight. I use oil paint because of my own connection with the medium. I wanted to use its richness and complexity of the medium to portray the complex lives that these characters in question lived. The women I choose to represent are characters that have often been put to the sidelines in their narratives. They are often used as pawns to push their male counterparts’ narrative along. Most of the time, they are viewed as the villain, a seductress, or a woman incapable of resisting temptation. I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless and show that it is okay to embrace your own femininity.