Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Quintero.
Hi Hannah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Art has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I would often draw on anything that was paper: paper towels, napkins, cardboard, notebook paper, you name it. It was one of my favorite subjects which I loved as much as English because of my love for reading and writing poetry. When I was fifteen, my parents bought me my first easel, canvases, and acrylic paint. Soon after, I taught myself how to paint. Art was a sense of therapy and a way to relax after a stressful day at school as a teenager and after long hours of studying at college. Everywhere I went, I always carried my sketchbook, a book to read, and a book to write poetry when inspiration struck, which I still do to this day.
On January 1st, 2019, I got up that morning and gave myself a bit of a mental kick, thinking, “I am almost 30 years old, and if I don’t sell my art now, I never will. I don’t want to live with regrets, what ifs, and I should haves.” Instead of getting my feet wet, I jumped head first in and looked up opportunities to show my art to others wherever I could, whether online or in person, in local art shows and outdoor markets. From then on, I began my journey of being a professional artist and starting my small art business, Hannah Quintero Art.
At first it was a bit of a New Year’s Resolution for myself to try it out and if in a year it did not work, I at least gave it a shot. A month later, I approached a local business owner who was hosting a local art show in my area, who invited me to sign up and from there I got to work on my first art series. Then when the pandemic hit in 2020, amidst the lock downs, outdoor markets began to take off in support of small businesses. I saw it as God giving me confirmation and answering my prayers that I was where I was meant to be and following my calling to be a professional artist.
In 2024, I eventually started incorporating faith based in person and online paint parties called God, Tea, & Paint. One of my biggest goals has been to not only create art that not only I love, but artwork that honors God and plants seeds of faith in order to help others relax, unwind, and heal.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have had several obstacles in different facets over the years so it is hard to say which of my obstacles were more significant in how they shaped me. I have had various experiences and miracles with bullying as a teenager and praise God surviving a benign brain tumor in my 20s completely intact without needing physical and occupational therapy. Just last year, I underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction for a benign tumor that I was diagnosed with a year and a half prior. During that time, I had to put my paint parties and markets on hold due to weight and driving restrictions. I was also unable to work on my larger paintings for awhile so I switched gears and worked on smaller pieces during my recovery time.
Each experience had various lessons to be learned from. Letting go, having faith in God, pivoting and flexibility have always been the biggest lessons for me throughout the years. Lately, taking a hiatus from my art business to spend time with my husband and little one were definitely lessons learned this past year as well.
Every obstacle is a stepping stone and learning experience. It is about leaving everything in God’s hands entirely. When we do, He can see us through all of the storms we face and give us peace along the way. That is when we can truly grow in faith and wisdom for future challenges. I have always believed that regardless of what we go through in life, it helped me learn that life is not guaranteed and we should not go through life with what-ifs. This was and is a driving force in my creative process as an artist.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Christian artist who creates faith based artwork down to the classes that I teach along with poetry and stories that I write and incoporate into my pieces. It stems around my own personal testimony where I left my health in God’s hands while having faith and being at peace with whatever the outcome was. We all have a tendency to take life and circumstances for granted. My pieces are meant to inspire and encourage people to see the positive side of things even in the bleakest of times. I feel what sets me apart from other artists is that my pieces are deeply personal in a way and sharing pieces of my testimony making it personable to collectors and to plant the seeds of faith in others along the way.
There is not a specific accomplishment that I can say I am most proud of because I am equally grateful to all. However, I am very proud of one accomplishment that I have received this year which is a nomination for the People’s Artist Competition. The winner will earn $25,000, a chance to showcase their art to a national audience at the Art of Elysium’s Salon as well as an article written in The Artforum Magazine, well known contemporary art magazine. Whether I win or not, it is a wonderful opportunity to showcase my artwork to a larger audience as well as supporting the Art of Elysium’s Salon which is also a non-profit. Their mission consists of using art as a facet of healing for people of various life circumstances. It holds dear to my heart because of what I am striving to do with my artwork. Another accomplishment that I am proud of is the fact that I dove in head first when I started my art career with no experience in running a small business. I feel it is about taking things in stride, being open minded and learning as I go. With God’s help, every little thing that I have learned up to this point has added up and I could not be any more thankful.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Before I can thank anyone, God is the main one who gets all of the credit and who has made everything possible up to this point by giving me good health and opening doors for me in my art business. Without Him, I would not be here doing what I love to do which is creating art, using my art to give God honor and glory and living life to the fullest.
My husband has been wonderfully supportive of my art journey from the beginning whether it is helping me set up at local markets, playing music for art shows or giving me art critiques while working on my latest paintings. Our toddler will even give his own input on my pieces and is often included in my creative process from time to time. My family, close friends, martial arts instructors, professors, along with amazing collectors have offered support of my art journey whether it was sharing my art pages, commenting on my latest pieces on social media, voting for me in the People’s Artist Competition, or collecting pieces that resonated with them online or in person. Some of my best and dearest friends and family have been part of my creative process by being models for my paintings also.
All in all, I am very appreciative of all of the love and support that everyone has given me in my art career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/hannahquinteroart
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/hannahquinteroart
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/HannahQArt
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/HannahQArt
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@hannahquinteroart?si=QUh40113Oa4U4Xks
- Other: https://ko-fi.com/hannahquinteroart
