Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Lowe Corman.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My life has taken some twists and turns, but what has remained constant throughout has been my love of art. As a little girl, I loved drawing – discovering colored pencils and charcoal – as a hobby and creative outlet. I started exploring paint during a summer class at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I continued to play around with acrylic paints during and after college, even as I pursued a career in finance. Moving around the country for my husband’s work afforded me the opportunity to consider self-employment, and art was such a natural idea that it didn’t even occur to me for a few years! I took a small leap – showing four small paintings in a group show in Brooklyn, NY – and I sold all of them! From there, I created a website (hannahlowecorman.com), started painting groups of work around a theme, memory, or feeling and applied it to shows and art markets. I was in the groove of being a stay-at-home mom and artist when we moved to Houston and had a second child. The new baby required so much more attention than I had anticipated and at six months old, we were shocked to learn that he has a rare and fatal form of muscular dystrophy called L-CMD. Painting, which had been on the back burner already, took a backseat in researching this disease and forming the non-profit L-CMD Research Foundation (lcmdresearch.org) to urgently translate scientific technologies into treatments and ultimately a cure where nothing currently exists. After 18 months of research and fundraising, some art commission inquiries started rolling in and re-sparked my focus on artistic creation. Now, more than ever, painting is serving as an emotional outlet for the whirlwind of grief and hope within me. Artistic ideas that have been brewing for years are organically resurfacing into new collections, and now with renewed purpose – to sell these works to raise money for research for my child.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Rejection is a constant companion in an artistic career. Rejection from shows, rejection of your ideas, rejection even of specific paintings. Each time someone says No Thank You, there is a pang of disappointment, but as the years go by, it has become more routine and easier to accept.
Becoming a parent was also a huge adjustment to both my painting routine and available work time, but also to my outlook. A lot of the annoyances of business (like those rejections, or updating my website) became less important in the grand scheme of life. And then to become a parent to a child with complex medical needs throws almost all other priorities into sharp relief as fairly unimportant.
I think these challenges have made me a more grounded artist and person because happiness and strength truly have to come from within and not from external acceptance.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The ideas and concepts for my work typically bubble up from internal emotions. I credit my mindfulness and meditation practices with allowing my brain the space to entertain new creative ideas. I’m known for creating paintings centered on color and movement that are direct expressions of how I’m feeling. I paint mindfully, meaning that I am able to drop into a state of flow while creating, letting all else drop away and get lost in the movement of my body as I paint. Sometimes I don’t even know where the painting is going until I stop, step back and give myself a moment to “critique and tweak.” I think these natural flowing works are relatable to others and can allow the viewer to anchor themselves to a memory, feeling, moment, or place.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was happy, loved nature, loved drawing, loved noticing. I’ve always loved composition – noticing the way scenes or objects are laid out in relation to each other. I’ve loved noticing tiny details about something special or mundane. My childhood camera rolls (back when we used disposable cameras and got the filmed developed at the drug store) were filled with close up details of architecture, flowers, and interesting landscape compositions. I tended to carry that perspective into my art – typically choosing to focus on a zoomed in close-up of one particular object when we were supposed to be drawing a full still-life composition. I loved (and still do love) the sharp contrast of light and shadow and the juxtaposition of color. I was introspective, finding joy and melancholy in music and books, but I also loved being friendly with all of my classmates, feeling like I could float into different circles and befriend lots of people. In childhood, I created my most dear friends – friendships that have spanned more than 30 years at this point. And I’ve always been close with my family, who are my biggest champions, and my sister, who is my best friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: hannahlowecorman.com / lcmdresearch.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hannahlowecorman
Image Credits
Krytondra Mamou Photography (main photo)
