About the Artist
Hannah Odum lives and works in Bland County, a small town in Southwest Virginia. Surrounded by mountains and the changing seasons, she draws inspiration from the landscape and the weather, often focusing on atmosphere and ambiguity in her paintings.
She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Radford University in 2023 and has shown her work throughout Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Her paintings are part of both private and public collections.
Hannah is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Painting at Radford University, continuing to develop her practice in the same region that first shaped her work. There, she holds a leadership position as Co-President in the Graduate Art Student Association at the university as well as working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
Artist Statement
I focus on painting landscapes influenced by weather and light. Using both oil and acrylic paint, I rely on their layering capabilities and malleability to infuse scenes with energy and depth. I am interested in exploring the relationship between natural environments and atmospheric conditions like wind, cold, fog, and clouds. These elements allow me to obscure and reveal parts of the painting, creating a space that feels both familiar and unknown.
In my work, I explore the line between naturalistic and abstract landscapes and how ambiguity allows the work to exist within its own timeless atmosphere, free from the constraints and expectations of specific locations. This rejection of place enables my work to remain in a more contemplative state, where the viewer is invited to consider the feeling of the painting more than wondering where it's supposed to be.
