Hannah Berta

is an artist, currently practicing on the coast of Maine

     she is inspired by sights and observations of the / craggy coastline / its forests / moons and tides, magical-mayhem and wilderness // but also by the hand-made, dusty machine-made, greasy,  mass-made,  messy,   route52constructed, refined, enriched,  luxurious /    &  the   way  that people interact with and navigate these   spaces    

her cut paper art is a reflection of   the   simple   intricacies   with   which   the  natural  world  is  composed  of  . Her focus is on systems   and   patterns that exist in the organic world  .   Her  process is a slow and thoughtful one // urging the viewer to be still /  observe the small shifts in light  //  find peace in simplifying complexities   ///   focus on the small things

     her process involves photography, projection-drawing, free-hand drawing, painting, and cutting with a boxcutter. , Sometimes, 

papier-mâché taxidermy examines various charismatic  and   un-charismatic  mega-fauna   .Hannah's   original  focus  was towards birds and animals which exist as neighbors to her in the state of Maine; endangered species & important players in the unique ecosystems which make up the magical Maine coasts. Lately   her practices have included a wider variety of textures and colors. She loves the idea that papier-mâché is something you forgot you learned in Second Grade when you believed in magic. It's a childhood smell. It's play and fun and  somehow --by means of unique attention to detail and -- layers of paint and  paint   paint    paint -  a character emerges from the layers of newspaper . Hannah's  p a p i e r-m â c h é   critters are meant to exist as art-objects, sculptures, taxidermy friends