Artist Asha Hanna paints surrealist portraits of the powerful women she encounters. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. From a young age, Asha painted as a form of personal therapy. "It was a place where I could express my thoughts visually," she explains. Once Asha started to consider pursuing a career as an artist, she struggled with her creative process. "I had to figure out how to preserve the pureness of these therapy sessions and also make enough money to eat." She persevered and went on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Howard University, where she learned how to push herself and also how to navigate the art world. Today Asha works from a clean, organized studio in Brooklyn, which she describes as her happy place. Her painting process starts with a live model and she captures the scene with a photograph. "That photo is then drawn over and over to adjust the shapes until I'm satisfied. I then do many color studies. Once it's finalized, I throw on RnB and get to work!"