Hanna Greenfield

Hanna Mae Greenfield is a fine artist, educator, and graphic designer who makes paintings. Originally from Texas, she graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Fine Arts. She now lives, works, and attends school in Pennsylvania, where she is pursuing a Master’s in Education at Temple University, Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Her work addresses themes of displacement, emotional regulation, interpersonal relationships, and decisions about what to carry with her as she moves from place to place. 

Collect Bean: What is the kindest thing someone can tell you about your work?

Hanna Greenfield: I love it when people share what the images I make remind them of.

Collect Bean: What role does color play in your practice?

Hanna Greenfield: I like to turn up saturation to get the same kind of feeling you might get from staring at an LED screen. I want these paintings to feel a little bit addicting like that.

Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?

Hanna Greenfield: I love witnessing what feels like a boom of figurative female painters in the limelight lately, and I am constantly referencing them alongside my own process. I love the way painting can become a conversation.

Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?

Hanna Greenfield: As I move states, art-making gives me the space to process my experiences within a familiar context. Revisiting my roots while bringing them into my present experiences allows me to feel more gratitude for my upbringing and to process influences I’d like to keep in my life or distance myself from.

Collect Bean: What is something that you do to stay focused?

Hanna Greenfield: Remember the why and punctuate with cats, snacks, and walks.