From Side Gig to Small Business: Hannah Willis ‘15

Watercolour painting and sketching have always been a hobby for Hannah Willis ‘15, even back in high school. 

When Hannah was at Greenwood, the Arts were a big part of her experience. She was very involved in Visual Arts and was in the school band. “My art teacher, Ms. Petch, was a really important mentor for me. It was in our Drawing and Painting class that I first tried Life Drawing and I realized just how much I loved art,” says Hannah. “Ms. Petch encouraged me to take life drawing classes outside of school which is where I developed the skills I use in all my art today - especially drawing perspective.”  

One of Hannah’s favourite high school memories was a mural her Drawing and Painting class created on the Beltline Trail. It was her first time getting to do large-scale, public art, and to see behind the scenes of what goes into planning, managing and consulting on a project. 

After graduating from Greenwood, Hannah went to Queen’s University to study Concurrent Education with the hopes of becoming a high school History, Visual Arts and Humanities teacher. While she really enjoyed her teaching placements, including one she got to do at Greenwood, she decided to expand her undergraduate work into a graduate thesis. Hannah is now in the Communication and Culture program at Ryerson University studying Whiteness and Canadian Policy. 

While Hannah was in the Concurrent Education program, she took art studio courses which gave her access to studio space and art supplies. Hannah began doing watercolour architectural paintings as a side gig for her friends and worked as a staff illustrator for the university newspaper, Queen's Journal. From there, her side gig slowly grew into a small business, and now she is doing about 15-20 commissions a month. 

Working from home has given Hannah the opportunity to expand her artistic horizons. Since she is a full-time student and works part-time in Communications for her local hospital, art has become her way to step back from work and let herself relax. “I typically start and end my day with an hour of painting and work on personal projects on the weekend,” she says.

Hannah keeps a folder on her phone of photos people have sent of her art framed in their houses. “It is so heartwarming to see the impact my art has had on people’s lives,” says Hannah.

One fun fact about Hannah is that she does most of her paintings with a $30 watercolour set from Above Ground Art Supply, which is the same one she has been using since high school. Hannah’s advice: “Never give up on your high school art supplies!”

If you would like to learn more about Hannah and her artwork, check out her website here.