Hannah Jensen Fox
Director, Hannah Jensen Fox Art
Bachelor of Art and Design in Visual Arts
She loves being in her studio and creating magic to share with the world, says contemporary artist Hannah Jensen Fox who is known for combining creativity with her passion for the outdoors.
“My work as an artist involves creating colour palettes, designing carvings, layering paint and carving into paint. I achieve my bespoke work by applying anywhere between 40 to 80 layers of acrylic paint to a board before carving back through the layers, revealing the colours beneath. The results are detailed images rendered in negative relief that emphasise the texture and tonal variations between paint colours in a topographical manner; amplifying the very nature I adore so much.
“Because I run my own business, I’m also responsible for all correspondence with clients, photographing, packaging and couriering work, creating content for all my social media platforms and my website. I also create workshops where I teach my technique.”
Her work certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed and has seen her nominated for the 2004 Mazda Emerging Artist Award, selected as a finalist in the 2009 World of Wearable Arts, and chosen as one of four artists to install work at the 2012 New Zealand Fashion Week. Her art career has also taken her to Venice Beach, California, for the ‘Kiwis in LA’ exhibition, however her exhibition ‘WILD’ at Auckland’s Allpress Studio is still what she considers her dream show.
Memories of AUT
For Hannah, the first step towards the art career she has today was enrolling in a Bachelor of Art and Design in Visual Arts, majoring in printmaking.
“I had been to several open days of other art courses around Auckland and really fell in love with the AUT tutors and the way the degree was run. I only applied for AUT and luckily got in.”
She still has fond memories of the creative environment at AUT.
“I really enjoyed having a designated studio space to get creative in, and having access to different techniques and mediums during my time there; learning how to process colour photographs, screenprint, create intaglios and etchings and more was amazing. My tutors Felicity West and Monique Jansen were incredible! They had a wealth of knowledge and a lot of patience, and were so supportive.”
Advice for other students
Hannah has some great advice for other students who are thinking about a future in art and design.
“Take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities you have while at uni, including access to different tools and mediums and being able to chat to different tutors to really soak in all the knowledge they have to share.”
While her own time at university is now well behind her, she says she still frequently draws on what she learned during her time at AUT.
“I’m grateful to be still using the technique I created while at university and be able to teach it to so many others as well.”
