HANNAH BENDER IS A PAINTER and printmaker BASED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.

she is currently working on her mfa in painting at the university of houston with plans to graduate in may 2025.

layer upon layer, my paintings contain records of movement; accretions of marks and gestures borne from accident and impulse.

mistakes, chances, forethought, retrospect…

my paintings make use of these concepts through a cumulative and continual overlay of color. paint is squelched, stained, smeared, scraped, and sprayed to engage with my physiological senses through physical stimuli. simulating the irreversible quality of human actions, color is never erased, but rather continually layered as time persists. emerging as resistance to seriousness and sterility, the bold, neon color palettes serve as an essential and whimsical reminder of play.

using photography as a methodical element in my practice, photos of train graffiti passing throughout Houston’s East End appear throughout my work. images are digitally altered and broken down in Photoshop to develop visually ambiguous layers of industrial freights, that are then Xeroxed and transferred onto silk with an acrylic wheat-paste process. drawing from visual cues of gender stereotypes, the mechanical and monochrome presence of train imagery conceptually contradicts the electric use of color and the soft, sensual, silk surface.

light versus dark. steel versus silk. industrial versus organic.

falling at the intersection of painting, printmaking, and photography, my work disrupts categorization through material and conceptual juxtaposition.

curriculum vitae

  • Master of Fine Arts, Painting

    University of Houston, Houston, TX

    2025

    Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design

    University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR

    2022

  • Print Shop Manager

    Red Bird Press, Houston, TX

    Sept 2025 - Current

    Adjunct Faculty, Printmaking

    University of Houston, Houston, TX

    Aug 2025 - Current

    Artist in Residence

    Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA

    Aug 4 - 15, 2025

    Gallery Manager

    The Lanecia A. Rouse Gallery, Houston, TX

    Oct 2023 - Current

    Gallery Preparator

    Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

    July 2023 - Current

    Graduate Teaching Fellow

    University of Houston, Houston TX

    Aug 2023 - May 2025

    Studio Assistant

    Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME

    Aug 2024

    Gallery Preparator

    Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX

    Jan 2023 - June 2024

    Studio Assistant

    Taylor Smalls, Oakland, CA

    May 2022 - July 2022

  • Untitled Art Fair, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX

    Lawndale Art Center booth & UH School of Art booth, Sept 18 - 20, 2025

    47th Annual MFA Thesis Exhibition, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX

    group exhibition, Mar 21 - Apr 20, 2025

    Decision ‘24, Charles Adams Gallery, Lubbock, TX

    group exhibition, juror: Brandon Zech, Nov 1 - Dec 2, 2024

    #NEWVISIONS2024, Texas Photographic Society

    online group exhibition, juror: Keily Anderson-Staley, opened Apr 19, 2024

    flammable, Elgin Street Studios, Houston, TX

    solo exhibition, Mar 21 - Apr 20, 2024

    By Hand: Alternative Processes, Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX

    group exhibition, juror: Christine Anderson, Dec 7, 2023 - Feb 3, 2024

    The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

    group exhibition, juror: Dr. Kanitra Fletcher, June 1 - Aug 12, 2023

    UCA Lactation Suites, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR

    permanent duo exhibition with Lindsey (Witting) Barnum, opened Feb 13, 2023

    BA/BFA Exhibiton, Baum Gallery, Conway, AR

    group exhibition, jurors: UCA Art + Design Faculty, Apr 7 - 18, 2023

    Black, White, and Shades of Gray, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA

    group exhibition, juror: Harry Frank, June 19 - July 25, 2021

  • Nancy Luton Printmaking Education Grant, PrintMatters, Oct 2024

    Outstanding Student in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, faculty nomination + application, University of Central Arkansas, May 2022

    Bear C.L.A.W.S. (Celebrating the Loftly Achievements of our Wonderful Students) Award, faculty nomination, University of Central Arkansas, Feb 2022

q & a

  • All of my work is for sale unless otherwise noted. Pricing is available upon request. Please email hannahpaintsalot@gmail.com or fill out the contact form for inquiries.

    Payment plans available

  • I do accept commissions on a case-by-case basis. Currently, I'm only open to projects that allow artistic freedom and situate well with my style.

  • I love studio visits! If you're a fellow artist or just simply interested in my practice, I would love to speak with you in my studio. Reach out through the contact form or through email at hannahpaintsalot@gmail.com.

  • Connect with me! I share my practice predominately through Instagram @hannahpaintsalot.