Near and Far
Windows are a means through which an artist can frame human existence. A window presents a cropped vantage point, and inserts the viewer into a particular perspective. These paintings are interpretations of the moments I have spent looking out through the frame of an airplane window, down onto the geography of my homeland. Painted from the inside looking out, these paintings serve as a sort of self portrait. The window also acts as a barrier. It is the division between being both close to home and removed
The inspiration for this project was my return flight back to America after spending a semester abroad. I was surprised at the strength with which I identified with mundane aspects of the landscape, such as the rooftops of super stores, the patchwork of farmer's fields, and the chlorine-filled swimming pools. This perspective prompted a reflection on how I define and relate to the concept of home.
These landscapes are where my work originated. I abstract these scenes so that they are not immediately recognizable, but still feel familiar. Each work is a fragment of terrain that has been synthesized and re-imagined so that it belongs to me. These paintings are my reaction to seeing my world reduced to specks of color on a sweeping landscape.
Hannah Ayers '16
Advisor: Marina Mangubi
All images copyright © 2016 Hannah Ayers. All rights reserved.
Installation. Oil on birch panel. 13" x 9.5" (31). 2016.
Installation. Oil on birch panel. 13" x 9.5". 2016.
Untitled. Oil and graphite on birch panel. 13" x 9.5". 2016.
Untitled. Oil and graphite on birch panel. 13" x 9.5". 2015.
Untitled. Oil and graphite on birch panel. 13" x 9.5". 2016.
Untitled. Oil and graphite on birch panel. 13" x 9.5". 2016.