Artist Talk: Museum of Big Bend
Inside the Rise of a Modern Master
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
In celebration of the opening of A Feeling of Humanity: The Ken Ratner Collection at The Museum of Big Bend, Erin Hanson gave a lecture and participated in the exhibition's official unveiling on September 16th, 2016. Her piece Canyon de Chelly is a part of this collection of works and has made its way across five art museums over the past two years, including the St. George Art Museum, where she also had a 5-month-long solo exhibition in early 2016.
Erin's talk covered her key sources of inspiration; she also discussed her rise from discovering the red rock canyons surrounding Las Vegas 10 years ago through to her current status as a forerunner in an impressionistic resurgence.
"I lived in Vegas for two years, and during that time I diligently created one painting every week, and those paintings were all paintings of rocks. Rocks and desertscapes." - Erin Hanson
Erin spent the better part of four years focusing solely on rocks and red sand, the colors and chunky abstract effects morphing over time into paintings with an almost stained glass effect. Later she veered from the familiar vision of desertscapes into rolling hills and California wine country, and most recently she has delved into painting florals and still lifes.
ERIN HANSON has been painting in oils since she was 8 years old. As a young artist, she worked at a mural studio creating 40-foot-tall paintings on canvas, while selling art commissions on the side. After getting a degree in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley, Erin became a rock climber at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Inspired by the colorful scenery she was climbing, she decided to paint one painting every week for the rest of her life. She has stuck to that decision ever since, becoming one of the most prolific artists in history. Erin Hanson's style is known as "Open Impressionism" and is now taught in art schools worldwide. With thousands of collectors eagerly anticipating her work and millions of followers online, Hanson has become an iconic, driving force in the rebirth of contemporary impressionism.