Meet Hanne

Hanne’s Corner

For the Love of Nature, Color & Texture

BYC:  Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Denmark and have most of my memories from my upbringing in Sønderborg, a beautiful city on the water, surrounded by rolling hills and lovely forests.  Every day was spent outdoors being inspired and connected to the natural world.  This connection has stayed with me and has continued to be where I find great inspiration and joy.

In 1986 I took a job as a nanny in Calgary with the hopes of becoming fluent in English.  It ended up changing my life as I met my husband and decided to make Calgary my home.  In 1993 I received my teaching degree from the University of Calgary and spent the next many years teaching for the Calgary Board of Education.  Throughout my teaching years, I had the opportunity to share my love for the natural world and to engage my young students through projects and creative endeavours.  Every year, my kindergarten students and I celebrated the changing seasons in different ways, and it was a wonderful creative outlet for me and a way to help instill a sense of wonder in my students.

BYC: When did you start creating the style of art you are currently working on?

In 2020, I made the decision to retire to be able to spend more time with my aging parents in Denmark and our two adult boys who are currently living in Denmark.  This was a huge change for me.  I quickly realized that I was missing the creative outlet that teaching had given me, and I started to explore different art mediums for myself.  I have always been drawn to textured materials.  For many years I collected handcrafted papers on my travels and have always been especially drawn to earthy tones that naturally remind me of familiar places, hence, the start of my landscapes.

BYC:  Your homeland of Denmark inspires you.  Where else do you find inspiration?

One of the many things I have come to realize in the last few years, is the joy and inspiration I get from daily walks with my good friend at the Glenmore Reservoir or outings in the natural landscape wherever my family and I might be.

I am always in awe at nature’s amazing color combinations and appreciate how the landscape always looks just a little bit different if you take time to look closely and engage the senses.  It is a place that energizes me yet at the same time gives me a sense of calm.  This connection and inspiration are what I try to use in my landscapes.

BYC: Can you tell us more about your art, how you create it and what it looks like?

The paper is my ‘paint’ as I rip and layer the canvas.  I love the unpredictable shapes and sizes you get by tearing the paper rather than cutting.

The materials I use are mainly plant based papers, made from mulberry, banana, mango and lokta bark, etc.  My first step is often color selection.  I tend to create groupings based on the current landscape, season or natural combinations spotted on a recent walk.  It is not uncommon for me to go over a project a couple of times until it feels right.  With the layering that then happens, new colors are created, and it is always exciting when something unexpected happens during that process.

My original landscapes range in size from 10”x10”, 12”x12” to 20”x20” as my biggest, due to the size of paper I can source.

I love prints myself and have also been experimenting with larger prints of my originals.  Lucky enough, I have found an amazing graphic designer here in Calgary, ArtmagikYYC, Ken Chow, who works with an entrada cotton rag which captures the texture and depth in my landscapes. It is exciting to see the prints as large as 40”x40”.

BYC: Tell us more about “Hanne’s Corner”.

Creating Hanne’s Corner happened last Christmas when my art studio was crowded with finished landscapes, and I had very little room to work.  My husband and sons managed to convince me to start an Instagram page for Hanne’s Corner so that I could share what was going on in my studio.  This was not an easy thing for me to do as I am a real introvert.  Nevertheless, I am glad I pushed myself and I will continue to create art as long as it gives me joy.

BYC:  How can we contact you and see more of your work?

Thanks so much, Lynne, for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself.  I am so grateful for your encouragement and support.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work, please visit my website hannescorner.com.

I also use Instagram (@hannescorner) and Facebook (@hanne.kislingsaundry) to document my process and inspiration and would love to have you follow along.

Should you want to contact me with any questions, please email me at: hkislingsaundry@gmail.com