Hewetson picks images for her paintings from various sources, most often from newspapers and magazines encountered on a daily basis, but also old photographs with which she has some connection. The act of painting produces a reduction of information on account of the economy of brush marks. Hewetson uses this as a device with which to keep a distance between the viewer and the painted image.

The temporal aspects of the painting process are central to her artistic concerns. This she defines as, the speed of the brush marks, the act of drawing with the paint and the level of engagement with the source image during the moment of painting. She works directly from the image, painting it several times. This repetition is important in signalling a break down in information, this produces an incomplete view of her subject, thus leaving space for an undefined reading. In some recent works, she has adopted a technique of painting on top of previous paintings, leaving the underneath image visible in some areas. This similarly adds another level of arbitrary depth to the painting.

She is interested in the slippage in and out of representation through painting. Overall, she is engaged in a process that explores the extent to which she can make the painted gesture produce an interpretation that appears objective or anonymous.

Relevant news

• 26/10/09 Hannah Hewetson exhibits in Max Wigram’s East End space
• 26/06/08 Contemporary art collection for KBC