Bio
Hannah Tjia, born in Southern California in 2001, is a painter and draftswoman who combines figurative studio painting with illustration and decorative design, inspired by her love of folklore, fables, and fairytales. Her work explores otherworldly creatures and motifs representative of her imagination and perception of reality. She works in oil paint, charcoal, graphite, watercolor, and gouache and enjoys experimenting with and combining these mediums. Hannah received her BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Laguna College of Art and Design, and currently resides in Irvine, California.
Artist Statement
As a contemporary figurative artist, I capture moods and moments from books or folktales combining oil painting, illustration, and mixed media techniques. My work explores the figure through design, employing fluid organic lines with ornate patterns inspired by the Art Nouveau, Secessionist, and Art Deco movements. Each piece is independently decorative with narrative and literary allusions, possessing an aesthetic juxtaposition of unique realism with imaginative shapes. My work leans heavily on memories, nostalgia, and stories from my childhood, featuring the characters, scenes, and sentiments that kindled joy and made life as a child bright. In each painting, I hope to capture a little ray of joy and allow people to find escape from a very busy grown-up world. Untethered to the rules of realism, my work intermingles dream with the reality of the two and three-dimensional world, resembling something between a picture book and real life.
CV
Education
BFA in Drawing and Painting, Laguna College of Art & Design, CA - 2023
Awards/ Honors
Beautiful Bizarre Emerging Artist Art Prize - 3rd prize - 2023
Laguna College of Art and Design Trustee Choice Award - honorable mention - 2023
Portrait Society of America Future Generation Competition - finalist - 2023
Laguna College of Art and Design BFA Merit Scholarship 2019 - 2023
16th International ARC Salon - semifinalist - 2022
Divisional Winner, OC Fair Fine Art Competition - 2014
Three blue ribbon awards, OC Fair Fine Art Competition - 2014
Exhibitions
Your First Art Collection III, Victoria Olt Gallery, EST - 2024
Campire Stories Vol.2, My Art is Real Online Exhibition - 2024
Silver Linings, My Art is Real Online Exhibition - 2024
MICA Juried Exhibition, Brea Gallery, CA - 2024
Femina, Gallerium Art Online Exhibition - 2024
Shooting at the Moon, My Art is Real Online Exhibition - 2024
Year of the Dragon, Blue Triangle Gallery, MA - 2024
LCAD Inaugural Permanent Collection Exhibition, LCAD Gallery, CA - 2023
Jardin de Rosas, Open Gallery, CA - 2023
Emerging Artists, Festival of the Art- 2023
Laguna College of Art and Design, Sawdust Art Festival- 2023
BFA Senior Exhibition, LCAD Gallery, CA - 2023
Cast of Crowns Art Collective, CA - 2023
Laguna Plein Air Invitational “Next Generation” Paint Out, CA - 2022
Figures and Florals, Dawson Cole Fine Art, CA - 2022
Publications
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Issue 44, Artist Directory - 2024