If You Knew This Led to Infinity, Would You Keep Going?

Final year BA Fine Art with History of Art student, Hannah Buchanan, talks about her art practice and her experiences of participating in this year’s BA Fine Art Degree Show.

Showcasing the work of 56 graduating artists from the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, the Cut the Mustard BA Fine Art Degree Show opened at the University of Leeds on 7 June.

Hannah Buchanan, one of the final year students taking part in the exhibition, specialises in oil painting and drawing. Her work varies from contemporary portraiture to realist and abstract landscapes.

Hannah said of Cut the Mustard and her time studying at the University of Leeds:

“Over this past month, we third and fourth year fine art students have been working hard to prepare for our degree show, Cut the Mustard.

“As we have learnt, it takes a lot to put up a show, and working out what to put in it and where everyone will go was just the beginning. From clearing lockers to scrubbing skirting boards, painting walls to sweeping floors, we had a lot of work cut out for us. However, with a lot of devotion, we transformed our day-to-day studios into the white, clean gallery spaces that proudly displays all our work today.

“The preparation for the show has been a great part of this experience. To all come together and work as a team on a project this big has been uplifting, and I have made a lot of great friends. No matter how daunting or tiring it has been, we have had a lot of laughs along the way. Somehow mopping studio floors seems fun when followed with an impromptu dance-party! For future final year students, my advice is a good supply of biscuits and a speaker go a long way in boosting morale.

“The opportunity to organise everything from scratch has been a valuable lesson in the realities of curating and exhibiting work. I have never been so attentive on the height of a label or the smoothness of a wall. But, trust me, the little things become very important.

To My Favourite Spot, Hannah Buchanan, oil painting on canvas, 2019

“Cut the Mustard covers three floors of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, ranging from works in photography, printmaking, sculpture, painting, performance, audio-visual and sound. Whilst the exhibition represents 56 students, we have worked hard to create a well-rounded show which promotes each individual’s practice within their respected field, whilst simultaneously demonstrating an original and innovative approach to contemporary art as a coherent whole.

“Whilst studying at the University of Leeds, our course has encouraged us to consolidate an awareness of our practice within a critically informed frame of reference, which is very helpful when surrounded by artists who work in such varied ways. I think this is unique to studying art at a university, as it has enabled us to contextualise our practices amongst each other, ensuring an engagement with greater social, political and philosophical conversations in art.

“I have been particularly lucky to be in a year group with such a varied choice of medium, as we have taken the time to understand each other’s practices and start discussions with completely different approaches. Of course, you also develop certain attachments to other people’s work as you see it progress, and I am grateful that I am able to walk around the show with the context of talking to these artists, having been a part of their development and decision making for their displayed work.

I am exhibiting five pieces, one of which I created at the beginning of the academic year, and the others all made within the two months prior to the show.

“As a painter, I have decided to exhibit a series of landscapes I have created over the past year. I am exhibiting five pieces, one of which I created at the beginning of the academic year, and the others all made within the two months prior to the show. This was a personal choice, as I wanted a chance to exhibit paintings with similar themes to show technical development across the year.

“As an artist who is deeply affected by colour and light, the emotive approach to an environment is a continuous theme throughout my work. As emotion and colour are interdependent, I find constructing a painting through emphasised colours much more instinctive than descriptive painting.

“The arrival of spring has brought about a new focus in forestry and disappearing pathways, with a particular interest in dappled light created by the thickening canopies. This environment makes me feel peaceful and content, which I hope to bring forward in my paintings.

If You Knew This Led to Infinity, Would You Keep Going?, Hannah Buchanan, oil painting on canvas, 2019

“To portray this, my current work consists of small, delicate paintings which are formed through several applied layers of oil paint. I am now working with a more mature colour palette, with deep browns, greens and greyish undertones which elude to the genuine experience within the atmosphere depicted in the painting. Additionally, I have kept a consistent blend of deeper, warmer colours in the foreground and lighter, cooler tones in the background, to evoke depth in the painting. This balances the painting compositionally, as unrealistic colours can be diffused with traditional methods of perspective.

“Since most of my work is painted on handmade canvases, I have left the sides of the canvas untouched, as the crisp, painted edge adds to the tangibility of the work. You may notice that some of my paintings in the show are set in shallow display frames, exposing the unprimed sides of the canvas. I hope the use of a smaller canvas with protruding edges contributes to the idea of a ‘framed’ atmosphere. I wish the viewer to see this as a window into an alternate infinity, which transports them away from the regimented gallery space, and into a state of mindful and physical tranquillity.”

Hannah Buchanan’s work can be seen at the Cut the Mustard BA Fine Art Degree Show until 22 June. The exhibition is free and open to the public, daily from 10am to 5pm.

See here for more information about all 56 artists taking part in the show.

Images

Hannah Buchanan with her painting Dappled Light Interrupting My Journey, Cut the Mustard BA Fine Art Degree Show, 2019

To My Favourite Spot, Hannah Buchanan, oil painting on canvas, 2019

If You Knew This Led to Infinity, Would You Keep Going?, Hannah Buchanan, oil painting on canvas, 2019