copyright 2022 Dorothy Hanna ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I am an Irish born artist and have a BA (hons) from Belfast College of Art. After many years
working and living in London, I moved to Cornwall in 2003 and now live between the
desolate beauty of the moors and the wild crags of the North Atlantic coast.
I have had numerous solo and mixed shows in London and elsewhere in the UK and as far afield as
Vienna. I have also had my work selected for The Royal Academy Summer Show and other
international open exhibitions and was a prize winner at the 2018 National Original Print Exhibition.
Always a painter, I began printmaking around 2010 and it quickly became central to my artistic
practice. I most often make monotypes which are individual, unique prints rather than part of an
edition.
I work in layers by applying the inks onto the printing plate before it goes through the press where the
marks I’ve made are transferred to the paper. I do this again and again until I feel I have resolved the
image I am working on. Sometimes I will include chine collé which is typically a handmade Japanese
paper, torn or cut to the shape I want and added to the print during one of the pressings. I usually
prefer not to use detailed sketches or plans but rather allow the ideas I have to develop as I work and
respond to the marks I make and the play between control and spontaneity. Sometimes the most
exciting element is when the unexpected occurs during the printing process and I have to find ways to
incorporate those developments into the work.
Recently I have been exploring imagery linked to my love of ancient celtic artifacts and heritage.
I am an elected member of both the 21 Group and the Plymouth Society of Artists.