Erin Hanson is an artist who specializes in oil painting. Oil paints have flexibility and depth of color and because it is slow to dry, artists can continue working the paint for much longer than other types of paint. Hanson loves to transform landscapes into abstract mosaics of color and texture, the impasto application of paint lending a sculptural effect to her art. Her oil paintings stand out in a crowd, bringing a fresh new look to western landscapes.
From a young age, Hanson voraciously learned about all sorts of mediums such as oils, acrylics, watercolor, pastels from her accomplished art instructors. She began commissioning paintings at age ten, and by age twelve, she was employed after school by a mural studio where she learned various techniques.
After a lifetime of experimenting in different styles and mediums, it wasn’t until Hanson began rock climbing at Red Rock Canyon that her painting style was consolidated by a single inspiration and force of nature. Rock climbing among the brilliantly colored cliffs of Nevada and Utah, watching the seasons and the light change daily across the desert, provided endless inspiration for her work. From watching the beauty in her surroundings, Erin decided to dedicate the rest of her life to creating one painting every week and has remained loyal to that decision ever since for the past decade.
“I have spent 30 years developing a unique technique of painting in oils, known as Open Impressionism. I get all my inspiration directly from nature, recreating the motion and vivid colors I discover with loose, expressive brush strokes,” she says. As other artists began emulating her painting techniques, Hanson was credited as the pioneer and originator of this contemporary style. Through the years, Hanson has continued to use the outdoors to inspire a huge collection of work. And she continues to bring a new perspective to various landscapes today.