Time-lapses, Mental Health, and Creepy Compliments: An Interview with Hannah Rayne
/Hannah Rayne is visual artist and stop motion animator,
who also does filmmaking, photography, graphic designing, songwriting,
and is an all around talented individual based at Nauti Studios in Sydney.
We asked Hannah some red hot Qs to get a behind the scenes look at the world,
and inspirations behind their amazing work.
Hannah Rayne, with her recent works in her studio at Nauti Studios.
Tea or coffee?
Tea in winter, coffee all year round.
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise, though I’m rarely awake for it.
What scares you?
When life gives you limes instead of lemons.
‘Untitled’ (2021) by Hannah Rayne.
When did you start making stop motion animations?
Around 16. I had left school with a poor amount of resources and a lot of time on my hands. I started to shoot timelapses of my drawings as I completed them, before realising I could change the pictures trajectory each time I took a photo. People seemed really responsive to the work, and I started to understand the tricks and benefits of the medium, so I just kept at it!
What inspires you and your work?
From my late childhood until today, I have had struggles with mental health. Most prevalently, psychosis has played a large role in theme. Stylistically I’ve always used art and stop motion as a form of release, so emotion and mental health is usually the broad catalyst for inspiration.
What’s your fave thing about Nauti?
The people! There’s so many different creatives at Nauti, discussing and bouncing different ideas off other people is intrinsically valuable. Especially as a multimedia artist!
‘Lunch’ (2021), acrylic on polyester, by Hannah Rayne.
Hannah Rayne, at work in her studio at Nauti Studios Sydney.
What is the piece of work you are most proud of?
The best piece of work I have done was a short charcoal stop motion film, exploring the thought process before an attempted murder. Paradoxically, due to safety concerns I couldn’t release it in Australia, but it ended up doing the rounds at film festivals in the Bronx and Manhattan, so I’m still really proud of that!
What are you working on at the moment?
An impressionistic view of a panoramic city. It stretches out over 3 metres, consisting of about 21 20x 20cm canvases.
If you weren't an artist, what would you be?
Deceased… Or a radio DJ.
Recent works from Hannah Rayne.
Have any artists changed the way you see the world?
Goya. I used to have a predisposition that my work was too dark to market. Especially after studying graphic design, I felt my personal style had been flattened in accordance with corporate briefs. Upon discovering the influence and subjects of Goya’s work, I felt far more confident to start drawing freely again, and take creepy as a compliment.
Behind the scenes, in Hannah’s studio at Nauti Studios in Sydney.
