Hannah Gordon-Teller;
Digital and non-digital artist, specialising in portraiture

BIO

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I have always loved art. From the age of 2 my parents would take pads of paper and pens wherever we went so that I could sit at the table and draw. Staying in a hotel in Turkey, when I was 11, the hotel manager saw me sketching and asked if I wanted to paint a mural on the hotel wall. I was ecstatic!

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I have had several great art teachers over the years but by far my most influential teacher and harshest critic is my dad. An art graduate himself, he taught me the fundamental skill of drawing - how to observe.  

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At the University of Sussex I chose to study for a BSc in Psychology, where my dissertation investigated how colour affects creativity and time perception. I was intrigued by the idea that we are not entirely in control of our brains and we can be tricked by visual stimuli.  A large focus of my A-level art involved playing with illusions, patterns and faces. To this day I am fascinated by how one line can alter the mood, age and even gender of a face. 

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In 2020 I was inspired by and got involved with the incredible movement #portraitsfornhsheroes, initiated by Tom Croft. It was a platform for artists to show appreciation for the UK's wonderful NHS staff during the COVID epidemic, by drawing free portraits of our modern-day heroes via requests through Instagram, of which I received several.

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I feel that my art ultimately comes down to the transference of emotion. When I receive a commission I request 3 photos of the subject to choose between to then draw. I choose the photo that I emotionally connect to the most as I believe I can best deliver on an image I have an emotional reaction to. It is this connection to the subject that I try to emulate in my art. I aim to channel the spirit of the subject through the portrait, so you have an emotional reaction to the final artwork.​​​