About Me
Hello, everyone! My name is Hana Lock; I’m 22 years old with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from San Jose State University. At SJSU, I studied traditional drawing, painting, and printmaking, and I also worked for the university’s gallery as a student assistant. Aside from making art, I like to visit museums and galleries, browse old used bookstores, wander around antique shops and thrift stores, and collect animal skulls and creepy dolls. I had a wonderful time gaining hands-on experience in museum operations at NUMU, and it has inspired me to continue pursuing this line of work.
My Art Practice
I have always been fascinated by the processes of life and death and find morbid beauty in its more grotesque aspects. My art approaches life, death, decay, and rebirth through both a scientific and spiritual lens; combining the natural sciences with various philosophic, religious and spiritual beliefs through whimsically macabre imagery. As a draftsman, I am also interested in the language of line. I strive for precision and detail, and I believe that in addressing the formal and conceptual qualities inherent in line, I can capture the delicate intricacies of the natural and imaginative world.
My favorite medium is ballpoint pen, but I also use watercolor, ink, acrylic, and oil. I take visual and conceptual inspiration from Western and Japanese art, religion, mythology, and folklore and often mix and match the two cultures to highlight their similarities and differences. I am especially interested in Art Nouveau, Japanese woodblock prints, 19th century medical illustrations, memento mori, and Japanese Buddhism.
Now that I’ve graduated, I plan to continue to build my art career by continuing to do gallery and museum work, exhibiting my art, entering local and international competitions, and eventually getting an MFA. I am nervous but excited to see what kind of artist I will grow into and how far I can go.
My Time at NUMU
During my internship at NUMU, I primarily cataloged various artworks and objects in the museum’s collection. I worked with items from the Frank and George collection, historical and contemporary art, and my favorite: taxidermy. I loved being able to get a close look at the specimens and doing studies of them in my sketchbook. My personal favorite is the bobcat because, frankly, it’s ugly and awful to the point that it circles back to endearing.
Takeaways
One thing that stood out to me in my experience at NUMU was the importance of good record-keeping. I realized just how easy it was for an artwork to become a complete unknown, and as an artist, it was sad to see someone’s hard work go uncredited. Most of the mystery works were likely by local artists, so it was a shame to be unable to give them the recognition and legacy they deserve. However, the lack of information led me down some interesting rabbit holes and I did enjoy discovering bits of historical trivia through my research. Some notable ones were finding works that were loaned during the Federal Art Project during the Great Depression or an artist who was also the designer of the Argus A camera.
Overall, this internship gave me valuable experiences in the inner workings of museum and gallery operations and made me realize just how much I enjoy doing behind-the-scenes work. I loved working with the people at NUMU and am sad it was over so soon. I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to see where these experiences will take me.
-Written by Hana Lock
