Hannah Joseph, FC alumna, ’11, is considered a natural born artist. Joseph was intrigued with art ever since elementary school. Her mom would also say that Joseph has been interested in art ever since she learned how to hold a pencil. Now, years later, Joseph is growing in her art by allowing others to view it at her second ArtHop held in downtown Fresno at a place called Cereal Trip from 5 p.m. through 9 p.m., Jan. 3.
Joseph attended FC for 6 years, using her time to become involved in journalism as a photographer and a writer. After high school, Joseph left Fresno and was admitted in to Hume Lake Christian Camp’s Joshua Wilderness Institute which is a one-year program equipping young adults about the Bible.
Now that Joseph is back in town, she has more time for drawing, painting and photography. Digging deeper, Joseph tells where she gets her inspiration for the unique drawings, as some describe her art.
“You know, I’m not too sure where I get my inspiration from,” Joseph said. “Ideas pop in my head while I am reading my Bible and singing worship in church. So I guess it is fair to say that my inspiration comes from God, the one who gave me the passion for art in the first place.”
To display her art, Joseph held her first ArtHop at the end of her senior year at her friends moms antique shop in the Tower District. Her second ArtHop displayed her ‘Animal Series.’ Joseph explains how she acquired this opportunity.
“One day, a couple of my friends and I were eating at the Cereal Trip,” Joseph said. “The owner started talking about all of the events they host at their venue. One thing led to another and my friend ended up signing me up for the next art hop.”
Joseph feels that all of her art pieces apply to the viewers, especially the animal drawings. Family friend and alumni, Josh Hopper, ’12, went to the art hop to support Hannah in her success. Hopper agrees with Joseph’s view on her art, he was able to connect with one particular piece well.
“My favorite piece was the wisdom piece with the owl,” Hopper said. “Hannah’s split color scheme on all the drawings were incredibly unique and I’ve never seen it before, but it was great. When I looked at the round features on the Owl, I felt like it knew me and knew what I was going through. I know that’s not weird because art has the power to do that, especially Hannah’s.”
Joseph was the only featured artist at the event. She thought the turn out was great and felt blessed by the amount of purchases that were made throughout the evening. Joseph shares her determination for finishing her pieces and how long the process took in order to prepare for the ArtHop.
“I never like to take breaks when I start a [art] piece,” Joseph said. “If I start it, I have to finish it on the same day. I can typically get a drawing done in a couple hours depending on how determined I am to finish it. The whole process took a couple weeks. I wanted to finish up an animal series that I had been working on, and then I had to make all of my prints.”
Josephs mom, Jackie Moran, tells more of Josephs dedication to art. Moran stated that Joseph devotes 100 percent of her time into what ever she is working on and that her hands cannot keep up with the passion that moves through Joseph.
“Hannah loved to write and draw from the time she could hold a crayon,” Moran said. “At the end of 9th grade is when the new passion for art began to ignite in her. Now it seems almost a literal extension of who she is. I see it as the gift that God has given her that not only reveals how she sees the world, but how he is honored through the stroke of her brush or pencil.”
Joseph had the opportunity to conquer the struggle that came when she first started giving a lot of her time into her art. The main endeavor Joseph had to take was becoming confidant in her abilities the Lord has blessed her with.
“I try to convey the idea that creativity is not something to be afraid of,” Joseph said. “I remember when I first wanted to expand my art, I was scared of messing up and I wasn’t confident in my ideas. It was a long process of learning to give up my fears and utilize the passion God gave me to do art, whether or not the people around me liked it. Once I got over that, I started gaining confidence.”
Friend of Joseph and youth pastor of Peoples Church, Matt Markarian, attended Joseph’s event to support her in this accomplishment. Markarian applauds Joseph for her willingness to take a chance and put her art work out to the public.
“The restaurant was really cool and the turn out was good,” Markarian said. “We got there towards the end but it was still full of people. It was nice to see people from all over town coming together to admire what Hannah did. This was like other art hops I had been to except I knew the artist which made it considerably more fun. I hope they continue to support young artists like Hannah. It is a great way for them to showcase local art.”
Being a believer, Joseph tells of how her belief in God affects her art, not just by inspiration but using this talent to glorify Him. Joseph realizes that without him she would not have this passion, therefore she tries to dedicate everything she does to him. Joseph continues by saying that her art will always be wholesome and uplifting and she would not have it any other way.
Joseph has showcased her art on social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram using the name “To Be BOLD art” for her art work. Joseph dreams that her artwork will serve as encouragement to people who view her work and allow them to make a choice to be bold in everything they do.
“We were all given talents and passions for a purpose,” Joseph said. “It is not by accident that I like to draw. It is not by accident that many people are musically talented, or that others are skilled behind a camera. All of our abilities are meant to serve one purpose, to glorify God.”
Josephs continues to try to be bold with everything, especially if it’s for God. She hopes for others to continue to strive with their passions and to use their talents to their fullest potential.
“If we are not bold in our passions and giving our all in the abilities we have, we are not utilizing ourselves enough,” Joseph said. “‘To Be BOLD art’ is my personal attempt to be bold in the love for creativity God instilled in me, and I want to encourage others to do the same.”
Check back next month for coverage on ArtHop, Feb. 7.
For past coverage on ArtHop, read the Dec. 7 article, ArtHop disappoints senior’s expectations.
For more information about Hannah Joseph, read the May 4, 2011 aritcle, ArtHop to feature aspiring photographer.
For more features, read the Jan. 8 article, Winter sports generate anticipation, convey excitement.
