Vita Miniaturen
Stilleben
Miniaturen
Landschaften
Ölgemälde Verschiedenes Kontakte

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Hanna Herrmann Woodring

RMS  *  HS  *  MASF


Born and raised in Minnesota, USA
Married to Josef Woodring, Guest Professor Bayreuth University
B.A. Degree from Louisiana State University
Further studies at LSU in Art and Art Education
Art Seminars with renowned artists in the USA and Europe
1970 - 1975 Gallery Director of the Guild Gallery in Baton Rouge, La.
1975 - 1979 President of the Louisiana Art and Artistsī Guild
1984 - 2000 Art teacher in a High School for Gifted and Talented Students
Has lived in Bayreuth, Germany since 2000

Memberships:
Royal Miniature Society of London
Hilliard Society of Miniature Painters
Miniature Artists Society of Florida
Louisiana Art & Artistsī Guild
Galerie im Bahnhof Weidenberg
Bund Fränkischer Künstler
Oberfränkische Malertage e.V.
Bayreuther Kunst Verein

Group exhibits (selection):
Miniature Society Exhibitions: Royal Miniature Society of London, Hilliard Society, Wells England, Miniature Art Society of Florida, Miniature Painters of Washington DC
USA: Louisiana Watercolor Society, Louisiana Professional Artists Society, World Trade Center in New Orleans, Old State Capital in Baton Rouge, Jambalya Festival in Gonzalas, Guild Gallery in Baton Rouge
Deutschland: Eremitage in Bayreuth, Bund Fränkische Künstler in the Plassenburg in Kulmbach, School Exhibitions in Weidenberg , Rathaus in Bayreuth
Oberfränkische Malertage in Weidenberg, Pegnitz, Bayreuth, Hof, Creußen, Kronach, Kulmbach, Wunsiedel, Coburg, Marktredwitz.


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During the time I taught High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I scarcely had time for my own art work. I had painted small pictures during the 80īs, but it wasnīt until I retired that I was able to concentrate my efforts in that direction. A visit to the Hilliard Society, in Somerset England, in 2000 confirmed that I wanted to specialize in Miniature painting. The quality of the work in this exhibit impressed me greatly. My own work now had a more focused direction and an extremely high standard to aim for.

I find myself being more and more interested in pattern and specifically in the intricate designs in lace. My still lifes are simple and uncluttered. My ideas are generated from the form of a vase, the pattern in a piece of lace or the shape of a bouquet. Most important is how these items work together to create a pleasing composition. I love to hunt in flea markets for old bier steins and interesting objects, but I also find interesting pieces to borrow when I visit friends. Once I find something interesting, I build a still life and illuminate it in a way that makes me want to paint it. Since the paintings take such a long time, I photograph the set-up, especially when working with flowers.

The paintings themselves start with the traditional oil painting techniques. I love the smooth surface of clay board and work with the lean to fat techinque. Once the painting has been laid in with oil paint thinned with turpentine, the rest of the painting is worked up in layers of glazes. One tradition I retained from watercolor painting, is to "leave the white" behind light areas. This technique lets the light shine through the glazes and give a luminosity to light subjects that would otherwise be lost. The background always comes first, that means, I paint the pattern in the lace before I paint the lace. It never ceases to amaze me that the cloth suddenly appears when the pattern is completed. Once I accomplich that, I can go back and paint the folds in the cloth and the cloth itself. When the cloth is finished, I redefine the pattern.

Miniature painting is a form of meditation for me. The world disappears around me and I am in a perfectly peaceful state. I think the paintings themselves emit this peaceful feeling. It has been reported that Van Gogh signed only select paintings with "Vincent", because he felt these paintings had a soul. Since the time that my paintings started to deserve the description miniature rather than just being small paintings, I have signed them with "Hanna".


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