To be a young artist in Providence is a double edged sword, a visually stunning, expertly crafted sword, but a sword nonetheless. We are, a city bursting with artistic energy that should inspire and support our youthful creators. Yet because of the abundance of artists – both recognized and not-yet-acknowledged – competition is fierce. Hana Kearney, aka Hana Ko of Hana Ko Designs, is one such artist who is simply trying to make herself stand out in a saturated city. Luckily she is full of energy and hope, and is, refreshingly, not yet riddled with cynicism concerning her craft.
Hana is a Cumberland native currently residing in Providence. Her artistic vision was born and nurtured at the Beacon Charter High School for the Arts, which, as its name suggests, focuses on a creativity-rich education. “In high school that’s when I really started to figure out what I wanted to do, what my style was,” explains Hana between sips of her Three Sisters iced coffee. “I had the best art teacher in high school, Mrs. Mosley. She was a huge influence – she instilled [in me] the idea that if you want to do something, you can do it, regardless of limitations.”
Her style is self-described as abstract and cartoony, and is perfectly depicted in one of her latest projects, the album cover for Roz and the Rice Cakes’ recent release Close Encounter. While Hana has big aspirations – perhaps one day being commissioned to do large-scale paintings or collages – she is focusing on the practical side of her profession by designing logos, images and marketable products for businesses and other interested parties, whether that be in t-shirt form or something else entirely. “Everything I make is one of a kind, it’s not easy to replicate. Even when I do screen printing, each one comes out a little bit different,” she says. “I’ll create a design for the client (or if they have their own I’ll use that) and it’s all hand-done. I use the AS220 print shop [and] I do everything from making the screens to ordering shirts to hand-stuffing every envelope... I put a lot of love into it.”
This process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on demand and time – and because of her class schedule and the fact that she works two other jobs to make ends meet, free time is tricky to come by.
After graduating high school, Hana went from CCRI to URI and eventually settled at RIC where she is currently working towards a degree in Art Education. Hana is also employed as a bartender at The News Cafe in Pawtucket and at a country club, all so she can support herself and her budding design company. But she doesn’t despair her situation as an artist who has to do other things to support her passion. “If I had every single day to work on my art, I know I would be able to produce more... but that’s real life. I have to work hard to buy my supplies,” she says with an excited, emotive tinge to her voice. “If I didn’t have a bartending job then maybe I wouldn’t have a certain creative vision one day. I’ll be doodling somebody and suddenly want to make that into a design. I think that everything else you do in your life stimulates your artwork. It’s not a shame – that’s why I’m going to school for education in art because I don’t want to be stuck not doing something in this field. I figure that’s just how we have to get by. Take a bunch of little jobs and as long as you’re doing something close to what you love, that’s all that matters.”
This positive attitude is imperative when trying to break into the Providence arts scene. “I don’t want to say that the [art community] is snobby by any means, it’s just that unless you’re already in the loop, it’s hard to get respect,” expresses Hana. “Every contact I’ve made has been a struggle.”
For now, Hana is busier than ever and is working on projects for local bands and businesses alike. “I want to represent the ‘stay local’ attitude,” she explains. “Basically, my philosophy is why would you want to go to someone you don’t know when you could go to me? I’m the local girl.”
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