17 - Hannah McKinlay - Artist - The Importance and Beauty of Making Art and Making Time for Art

Hannah McKinlay is a New Zealand-born Melbourne-based artist and secondary art teacher. Primarily a painter, her works are often of local street scenes, with a focus on particular buildings that have significance to her, or have a distinctive look about them, such as cafes, street corners, pubs, and other old buildings. Hannah’s paintings often have pink or bright undertones with transparent washes of colour, detailing the buildings and giving them a faint appearance that plays into the idea of memory, passing of time, and happy or nostalgic feelings about home or community.

In this episode, Hannah joins me to chat about the importance of finding time for your own artistic practice, despite how busy our we may get when juggling all the other parts of life. We reflect on the nature of kids to play and explore materials without the fear of mess; the tubs of childhood paintings that get passed on from parents; the magic of cyanotype; and how art can be a refreshing form of restoration and help us feel more life ourselves. Hannah also gives us some insight into her creative process and personal style, the beautiful connection between artist and audience, and her perspective on building habits to make more art.