Visual Artist – Preston Hanna

PRESTON HANNA

VISUAL ARTIST

Prestonism.

By Yolanda Hanna Photographs courtesy of Scharad Lightbourne Photography and June Collins of Sixty2sixty Gallery

Afeeling that stirs at the core of your soul and encroaches upon each one of the senses until you are completely immersed in the world of Preston Hanna – a world of history, expressive thoughts, vibrant colours and beautiful melodies that are all entwined in a single space.

Prestonism represents the mind, body and soul of visual artist Preston Hanna. This innovative artist uses his environment and vivid imagination as a palette for his canvas. He has developed quite a following over the years and his unique sense of expression transforms his canvas into a kaleidoscope wrought with African heritage, Caribbean culture and paint strokes of sensual, unfettered emotions.

I was privileged to speak with this brilliant and busy artist, who is also an art teacher and head of the art department at a high school in New Providence, about his work, his inspiration and his students, and was fascinated by the information he shared with me during our interesting conversation.

When did you discover your love for art?

I wasn’t an art student in high school, but I was always sketching something in a sketch book. When I was in the 11th grade, the art teacher saw one of my drawings and she asked me which art class I was attending. She was shocked to learn that I didn’t have any training. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t interested in art at all. My plan was to go to college and study architecture (laughs). But she convinced me to come to her art classes in the afternoon, and that’s where my love for art began. She taught me about art, and I attended afternoon art classes until I graduated from high school. After graduation, I wanted to learn everything about art. So, I went to college, and I obtained a bachelor’s degree in art education. Today, I teach at my former high school, the school where I discovered my love for art and where I graduated from.

Are you inspired by your students

I am inspired by my students. They are a great inspiration to me. I see the creativity and fire in their eyes and that inspires me to open the box and reveal to them what art can do.

Have you ever come across a student who possesses that raw talent similar to the talent you had in high school?

Once in every blue moon, you find a gem like that, and I’ve been fortunate to encounter several students who possess amazing talent. Those students were able to go off to university to continue their studies in art and they are all doing very well. Some of them communicate with me often and I’m very proud I played a part in where they are today.

When I look at your paintings, I can see influences from our African heritage and Caribbean culture. I see it and I can feel it, too. Your work invokes a feeling of pride and independence; I can almost hear music when I study your paintings

(laughs) It’s interesting that you would say that. I don’t know if you know this, but I am also a dancer. I believe that rhythm and feeling open up your mind. Everything plays a role in my artwork. I used to perform a live art and music show at one of the hotels here in Nassau. I would begin the show with a blank canvas. Throughout the show, I’d paint and dance. HogPlum 2021 Tranquility 2021

At the end of every show, I would auction off the painting and donate 100% of the proceeds to a local charity.

Wow! That’s amazing and different. Are you working on anything new for 2022?

You know, I’ve always been different. I knew I was different since I was a child. Now that I’m older, I see myself as a vessel and I let the spirit flow through me to do the work that I do. I come from a hard-working family. My parents always worked hard, and they instilled that work ethic in me. I am planning a show this year. I debuted four art shows last year, so a 2022 show is definitely in the works. I also plan to launch a permanent collection artwork, which is to be displayed fulltime here in Nassau at a selected location. I’m looking forward to announcing that partnership this year. Prestonism. UA

APRIL - JUNE 2022

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MRS. SHAVAUGHN MOSS is the lifestyles editor at The Nassau Guardian 1844 Ltd., The Bahamas’ oldest newspaper, and has three-plus decades of experience. She currently writes on a wide range of topics. She is known as the country’s premiere “foodie” and has traveled extensively in her culinary quest for the best bites (and some interesting ones as well). Shavaughn studied Mass Communication in the United States, and has done advanced courses in the United Kingdom as well. MRS. CAPRICE SPENCER-DAMES, an administrative professional, has spent the majority of her career in the airline, retail and hospitality industries at various management levels. Her career and personal life has afforded her the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time living and traveling throughout our Family Islands, the Caribbean and the Americas. With a keen interest in culture, cuisine and people, she brings her experience to the various features and production of the publication.

MS. YOLANDA HANNA

is a Radio Personality, Publicist, Writer and Social Media Content Creator living in the beautiful Bahamas. A ferocious advocate for the promotion of Bahamian Music, Art and Culture, she is a “Grand Bahama Baby” who is passionate about telling the stories of the Bahamian people. “I don’t just fly here, I live here.”

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is a Communications Expert, who specializes in travel articles. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Writing and a Masters Degree in Strategic Communications, which includes Marketing, Public Relations and Social Media. She is married and the proud mother of two daughters.

PROF. MYRURGIA HERNANDEZ, a Doctorate Candidate at Universidad de Baja California, Mexico, is an alumnus of University of Havana, Faculty of Foreign Languages (FLEX according to Spanish Acronyms) Class of 1998. She became an approved Lecturer by the Board of The College of The Bahamas (COB), now University of The Bahamas (UB), in December of 1999. In 2000 (January), Myrurgia joined the Faculty of The School of Communication and Creative Arts as a Spanish Part-Time Lecturer.

MS. BIANCA MAJOR is the editor of The Long Island Runner News and is an avid promoter of The “real” Bahamas, its culture and all things Bahamian. Her diversity spans across professional fields such as Publishing, Marketing & Graphics, Social Media Content Creation & Management, Photography, and Marketing. Bianca the “artist”, “foodie” and radio personality has more than two decades of experience and has a passion for writing. Raised between The United States and The Bahamas she has a unique concept of our culture.

MR. GUILDEN GILBERT has had a fascination with photography for most of his life but it was at the age of 14 that the photography bug really hit him, after which he was rarely seen without a camera. Born and raised in Bermuda, Guilden is self-taught, having never taken any formal lessons—the 8 to 10 rolls of film a week were his lessons. Principally a Landscape/Seascape photographer, today Guilden is also known as a Sports Photographer. The Bermuda Government selected a series of Guilden’s work to be hung in the boardroom of the Ministry of Finance. www.guildengilbert.photography NASIA R. COLEBOOKE is a copy editor, playwright and writer, who loves to tell the stories of those who often go unheard. She has a blog where she writes film, TV, music and book reviews, and personal pieces. She is also well-versed in public relations and holds a B.A. in English (minor in History) from University of The Bahamas, and is currently pursuing a master’s in journalism.

ALEXANDRA ‘BAHAYOGI’ KAUFMANN

is a lover of all things yoga, wellness, and life. Along her yoga journey, she has practiced and studied Power, Baptiste, Hot, Restorative, Rocket, and Vinyasa Flow Yoga. She has completed over 500 hours of yoga teacher training with world-renowned instructors. Her passion for teaching has attracted celebrity clients like Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Jennifer Lawrence.

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KEESHA CLAUDIA BETHELL is a new-age writer, creative and award-winning Journalist who has her finger on the pulse in many areas of interest including mainstream news reporting and production, television/internet program production and travel, Spanish, leisure and culinary writing—not to mention social media. MS. NIKIA WELLS is an avid traveler with a passion for seeing the world, learning about new cultures, trying unique dishes and raising awareness about the freedoms of solo travel. In 2014, this Grand Bahama native created the PinkSands242 website, which is devoted to spreading her passion for travel, food and new experiences from a Bahamian perspective, while demystifying various elements of world travel. Her writings have been featured on www.bahamas.com and several other local publications.

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Atlantis Marina, Paradise Island Photo courtesy of Guilden Gilbert