Portfolio by Hana Nishi

Through my artwork, I want to share warmth with everyone and for them to feel loved by someone they miss. I want to connect with those who surround me like a thread draped over each one of us, intertwining all of us to be one. As we move forward, we connect and grow with others and create a strong foundation built upon our memories and conversations that we have made along the way. 

My work uses different media to try to capture my concept. My main medium is oil painting because the process is very intriguing to me. In my paintings, I try to incorporate other mediums such as fabrics, tea bags, or strings to have an art piece that expands past the canvas to interact with those who surround it.  I draw inspiration for my paintings from the photos I've taken in photography class. After a rough sketch, I make a Griselle layer, which is a base layer of a painting that consists of two layers. Once the first layer is dry, I add color and more detail. After the painting feels complete, I stitch on other layers of fabric. 

I'm currently exploring a more abstract approach in my ceramics, dedicating additional time to treating my bisqueware as if it were a canvas. My pieces that use tea bags are a very different process from all of my other pieces and also have a stronger meaning. While I was missing home in junior year, I wanted to take inspiration from those around me; the process also helped me grow closer to them. I save the tea bags that I collected from others and rehydrate them in the studio, then remove all the tea leaves from the inside very carefully, being inspired by having to move and leave friends and family behind. After I sewed them together, which represents growing closer with others. 

Hana Nishi is from Chicago, Illinois, and is a second-year senior at Interlochen Arts Academy. She previously went to Interlochen Arts Camp for two years and has won a Gold Key and received two Honorable Mentions in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Next year Hana will continue her art practice at Leeds Arts University.