american artist
Erin Hanson
Landscapes in oil
Erin Hanson has developed a unique style of
painting, her richly textured oils filled with vibrant
color and motion. Using only a brush, Hanson
uses as few strokes as possible to capture the
spontaneity and natural beauty of the landscape
around her. Backpacking and rock climbing
provide the inspiration for her work, giving her the
opportunity to explore new terrains and stunning
vistas.
Erin Hanson calls her technique of painting
“Open-Impressionism.”
After twenty years
of experimenting with oil paints, Hanson has
perfected a style of loose impressionism with
a modern touch. Hanson pre-mixes her entire
palette using a limited number of colors, which
prevents the paint from getting “muddy.” With the
composition laid out and the colors mixed, only
then does Hanson pick up the brush and begin
to paint, using free, wide strokes placed side by
side without layering. She concentrates on the
negative spaces in the composition, bringing
the light to the foreground and giving a mosaic
quality to the work. Color choice becomes a
decision made more from instinct than from visual
identification.
Without using turpentine, which thins the
paint, Hanson uses her brush to create variations
of texture within the painting. The interplay of
thickly applied paint and smoother areas of the
painting creates a rhythm and excitement within
her work, inviting the eye to travel through the
painting.
The purpose of Open-Impressionism is to
capture the fleeting experience of a beautiful
landscape with a spontaneous brushstroke
and abstraction of the landscape into a twodimensional work. The loose quality of the work
allows the viewer’s imagination to participate
in the painting, therefore making the work very
personal to the observer.
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