by Lara Henry
Hannah Gandy is a senior at Valdosta State University, studying to get a Bachelor’s Degree in fine arts. Gandy’s work, as well as the rest of the senior BFA art major’s work, can be seen at Valdosta State University’s Fine Arts Gallery on April 16th, 2022. The senior artists that contribute to the exhibit have worked based on their theme, connecting their body of works. The theme of Gandy’s work, reflection, shows an array of artworks created with two different mediums. Gandy was born in Valdosta and has been living in the city since then, learning and growing her love for art, specifically Plein Air. Growing up with a family of artists, her love for art was encouraged and they influenced her.
Bodies of works that display overall themes are important for viewers to recognize in the works. Gandy’s artwork shows her reflections on life, mental health, and nature that she has developed over her years at Valdosta State University. Gandy says that in the beginning stages of her love for art she would grab her sketchbook and begin to draw what she saw around her, not knowing that it was a style called Plein Air. During these moments that she would sketch she realized that she was “using art to deal with depression and anxiety and to just calm myself and be in the moment.” Some of her works, in the form of Plein Air, she creates while taking walks. Gandy states that walks help her to reflect and notice these beautiful moments in nature, and later create studies and larger works. Morning Walk and Morning Walk study, done in oil paints, displays that reflection of the nature around her. Gandy got involved with the Plein air community and has continued to contribute to that style of work.
Plein air is Gandy’s favorite style of work that she creates using oil paints; she likes the quick and raw process that it expresses. While working with Plein Air she recognized landscapes in a different way than she had before, noting how the light changes emotion in the painting drastically. In her work Daily Brilliance, she was able to capture and display lighting on a tree that captures the viewer’s eye. Daily Brilliance, done with an etching method, was different for the artist, because of the longer process compared to painting. Gandy worked with an etching process in her printmaking class that also produced the work Spiritual Messenger. This work shows a reflection on passed loved ones and the peace that a cardinal can bring to families of lost ones. Spiritual Messenger is a work that is emotional and allows the viewer to also reflect on their loved ones in their lives. Most of Gandy’s works are Plein Air works or etchings of nature but she also will display a self-portrait. This abstract self-portrait, Emotional Paralysis, is a moving piece that causes the viewer to reflect on what the deeper meaning could be. Gandy states that while creating this work she was reflecting on her own life and letting it run onto the canvas.
“All the thoughts and things that I’m worried about are all gone when I’m painting. I’m not worried about anyone else, it’s just me time,” says Gandy. Gandy stated that while painting she can slow down and see these moments in nature, reflecting on her life. Her love for Plein air is evident in her body of work, not just in that style. Gandy said that over the years her work style changed as she continued to develop and find the style she loves. This artist said that in her first year at Valdosta State, as an art student her work was clean and she wanted everything to be perfect. Over time her mark-making became loose, expressionistic, and sketch-like developing the works she is proud to display.
Overall, Gandy’s work displays personal reflection on her mental health and nature, allowing viewers to interpret their reflections on the works. Gandy’s theme of reflection and love for art has helped her to be more aware of things around her. Art is therapy for her, to let things go and enjoy time in her medium.
Lara Henry is a Junior at Valdosta State University studying Art Education.