Hazel Wynn, a Jersey-born artist with a passion for color, draws inspiration from the world around her to create vibrant and emotionally resonant paintings. Trained at Chelsea College of Art in London, where she specialized in Textile Design, Wynn’s artistic journey has taken her from hand-painted textile designs to a Fine Art Degree back in Jersey. Today, she dedicates her time to painting, drawing influences from early abstractionists and the Washington Color group, particularly artists like Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, and Paul Jenkins.
Wynn’s artistic career took an early leap when she won the Royal Society of Arts national bursary competition during her time at Chelsea. This achievement paved the way for her hand-painted textile designs to be sold internationally. Yet, she felt a pull back to her roots in Jersey, where she delved into the world of Fine Art. Her artistic evolution reflects a deep connection to the natural world, from the serene colors of underwater ecosystems to the lush hues of rainforest foliage.
The core of Wynn’s work revolves around the exploration of color and its intricate relationships. Her paintings, such as the captivating “Back and Forth,” serve as windows into her world of emotional responses to nature. The artist approaches her canvas with a deliberate technique, laying it flat on the floor. Through a meticulous process of pouring and pulling liquid pools of paint across the surface, Wynn navigates the delicate balance between control and unpredictability.
In “Back and Forth,” a mesmerizing acrylic on canvas measuring 150cmx100cm and created in 2023, Wynn embarks on a quest to achieve tension between control and spontaneity. Her carefully chosen limited color palette sets the stage for a dance of hues, while layered swathes of color build depth and contribute to an overall sense of harmony and balance. The painting becomes a visual narrative, telling a story of the interplay between ordered intention and the unpredictable marks that serendipitously emerge during the creative process.
The title itself, “Back and Forth,” hints at the dynamic nature of Wynn’s approach. The intentional repetition suggests a dialogue between the artist and the canvas, a conversation that oscillates between planned precision and the organic flow of paint. The result is a stunning piece that captures the essence of Wynn’s artistic philosophy – a delicate balance between chaos and order in the natural world.
Wynn’s fascination with the natural environment is palpable in her work. The colors, light, and forms found in underwater realms and rainforest landscapes serve as a wellspring of inspiration. The emotional response she seeks to capture is not only evident in the final product but also in the artist’s daily commitment to her craft. Wynn’s dedication to painting every day becomes a ritualistic exploration of her inner world and its connection to the external beauty that surrounds her.
The artist’s process of working with the canvas flat on the floor symbolizes a grounded approach to creativity. It’s a hands-on, tactile engagement with the materials, where the physicality of the act is as important as the visual result. The tension between the controlled application of paint and the unpredictable overflow mirrors the natural world’s intricate balance between order and the unbridled forces of growth and change.
In Wynn’s work, modulated layers of color create a rich tapestry that invites viewers to lose themselves in the depths of the canvas. Each stroke tells a story, and every blank canvas or single-colored area becomes a deliberate pause, a moment of contemplation within the broader narrative. It is a testament to Wynn’s skill that even the absence of color or the simplicity of a single shade contributes to the overall harmony of her compositions.
Hazel Wynn’s journey as an artist is marked by a constant ebb and flow – a back and forth that mirrors the rhythms of the natural world she so passionately depicts. Her work is a celebration of color, a testament to the emotional resonance found in the simplest and most complex aspects of our environment. As Wynn continues to paint each day, her canvases become windows into a world where chaos and order dance in harmony, inviting us to join the conversation between control and spontaneity.
