Hi Folks!

Since I can't figure out how to post a PDF file on here I'm going to post the text and images from the article about my hand-painted jewelry which came out in a local paper on the 3rd. My name was not spelled correctly, and there are a couple factual errors, so I went ahead and put the corrections in below but I thought Susan did a superb job and I really, really appreciate it!

XOXO,

Hannah

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor, December 3, 2008

Acts of Art
by Susan Richards

Mini Masterpieces on Display at Wildfire


Hannah Slattery-Quintanilla models one of her jewelry pieces


When gift-giving budgets are feeling miniaturized, have faith. A small gift doesn’t necessarily mean less thought and in the case of artist Hannah Slattery-Quintanilla, miniature is meaningful. The Loveland artist will showcase her latest creative venture — wearable art — at the Wildfire Holiday Arts show on Dec. 6 and 7. Each of the 70 necklaces and pins Hannah plans to offer are little paintings of all kinds of subjects including flora, fauna, faces and more.

Dubbing her work “Hannah Handpainted” she’s looking forward to her return to Wildfire after a three-year hiatus.
Originally from Austin, Texas, Hannah moved to Colorado in 1990 and followed the lure of the arts in Northern
Colorado about five years ago. She was soon teaching workshops at Wildfire in mediums including life drawing, pastels,
encaustic and kids’ arts. She also participated in a couple of previous holiday art shows.

The birth of daughter Pele precluded her teaching stints at Wildfire, Loveland Museum/Gallery and Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, but not her creativity. “She’s been an interesting inspiration,” says Hannah of her bubbly offspring. Indeed, the doting mom has taken thousands of pictures of her daughter, family and activities, in general. With most of her family still in Texas and husband Jeremy's family in Virginia, she’s providing her loved ones an intimate documentation of their day-to-day life. When one strikes her as interesting, Hannah will digitally alter a photograph turning it into a genre piece.

The scope of her work may have scaled down in size since Pele’s arrival but Hannah has a healthy resume beyond jewelry and family photography. She received a BFA in painting and drawing from Rocky Mountain College of Arts & Design and has sold several of her larger paintings. She’s also done murals in the past and designs one-of-a-kind greeting cards. Her portraits are colorful, bold and delightfully reminiscent of another era. Hannah herself is a Bohemian soul who imbues her work — regardless of size — with a love of earth and spirit.

She comes by her creativity honestly. Artists perch on both sides of the family tree and include a sister who’s an exceptionally talented portraitist and a brother with a creative writing degree from Harvard.
Jeremy’s mom recently opened a gallery in Virginia, Light Wings Center, which carries her daughter-in-law’s work. Hannah’s jewelry and cards can also be found at Merchant Voyage and Sage Moon in Loveland, as well as on her retail Web site www.unclehannah.etsy.com.

As her daughter grows Hannah finds herself open to any direction her art may take her.
“I just want to keep doing it,” she explained. “What I enjoy most about art is the free-flowing inspiration, the process
of creation and the unexpected quality of what comes through.” She particularly enjoys interacting with people whether it’s teaching or designing a custom piece for someone. Hannah’s created at least 30 pendants per customer requests.

The jewelry, cut and sanded by Hannah’s husband, is an inch wide and all of it is in the $25 range. Perfect for the stocking of that art lover. Be sure to stop by and visit Hannah this weekend at Wildfire, where we hope to see more of her as her muse, Pele, gets older and allows mom more time to create.


One of the bird series of necklaces
Photos by artist