Meet Hannah Friel | Abstract Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Friel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, how do you think about risk?
Risk is an essential part of life as well as in career. Calculated risk is needed for growth in both business and ones personal life as It teaches important lessons that Become an integral part of your experience and can steer you in a particular direction. You need take risks in order to differentiate yourself and find your niche. For me, risk helped me develop a process of artwork that is totally unique to me. It took years to develop, but only I know how to do it. It also helped me gain confidence in myself and in my abilities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I focus primary on abstract design with a unique approach. My medium is mixed media and resin on wood as well as mixed media on canvas. I’m most proud that the technique I used was developed by myself so I am the only one who knows how to do it. It is a very unique style and I love that people can always tell when it’s my work. In order to build a business as an artist, I used networking to connect with people and organizations. It was definitely not an easy road but it was so worth it. I overcame challenges by failing forward. I used each mistake as a learning tool along my journey. I’ve learned that failure is never really failure, it’s just a lesson to learn from. These lessons are gifts and are incredibly valuable so it’s important to use them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Scottsdale there is so much to do it’s endless. Some of my favorite things in Scottsdale are the hiking trails. Toms thumb is a great one. Also a day trip to Sedona would be a great idea as it’s absolutely stunning and you can hike all around there as well. For food, some of my absolute favorite places are crujente for Mexican food and tratto for Italian cuisine. If you love to shop definitely check out fashion square mall or the Scottsdale quarter.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to Susan and Jake Potje as well as all of the team and artists at The Celebration of Fine Art. Susan and Jake put on one of the best Fine Art shows in the world every year in Scottsdale Arizona and they have taught me so much about art as a business. The team and the artists all share so much knowledge and Support as well and i am very grateful to be a part of such a wonderful event.

Website: Hannahfriel.com
Instagram: @hannahfrielart