Artist Adventure Series, No. 1
Erin Hanson's Passion for Adventure Shapes Her Art
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Climbing in Red Rock Canyon is an addictive sport. The steep overhanging cliffs become a monstrous feat that one must, at all odds, overcome. Day after day, hour after hour, you battle the rock holds, sometimes spending a week just to master one tricky maneuver. But when you finally get to the top, the whole world rolling out beneath you, you remember why you deal daily with the scratches, rope burn, tight shoes, heavy packs, and tendonitis. It’s all worth it.
About Erin
ERIN HANSON has been painting in oils since she was 8 years old. As a teenager, she apprenticed at a mural studio where she worked on 40-foot-long paintings while selling art commissions on the side. After being told it was too hard to make a living as an artist, she got her degree in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley. Afterward, Erin became a rock climber at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Inspired by the colorful scenery she was climbing, she decided to return to her love of painting and create one new painting every week.
She has stuck to that decision, becoming one of the most prolific artists in history, with over 3,000 oil paintings sold to eager collectors. Erin Hanson’s style is known as "Open Impressionism" and is taught in art schools worldwide. With millions of followers, Hanson has become an iconic, driving force in the rebirth of impressionism, inspiring thousands of other artists to pick up the brush.