Erin Hanson’s earliest landscapes were inspired by the desert, specifically Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, where she became an avid rock climber. Hanson’s style of painting, which she calls “open impressionism” was dictated by the geological characteristics of the terrain.The cracks and crevices, blocky forms and angular surfaces called for equally chunky, dynamic brushstrokes that impart a stained-glass quality to her vibrant, expressionist paintings.
When Hanson left the desert for Southern California, she realized that her style—thick impasto strokes laid down next to each other over a color-washed canvas—could also, with practice, be applied to seascapes, fields and vineyards.
Sunflowers in Provence, oil on canvas, 36 x 48"For her newest body of work, Hanson found inspiration abroad, realizing a long-time dream of going to France and visiting all the places that the great French Impressionists—namely Monet, van Gogh and Cézanne—lived and painted.Hanson started out in Paris, visiting many of the parks the early impressionists and post-impressionists painted. Then she took a river boat cruise along the Seine, stopping in Giverny to see Monet’s garden and Rouen to see “Monet’s cathedral,” before concluding the tour in Le Havre and Étretat. From the cliffs of Normandy, she traveled south to the vineyards of Bordeaux and found the water lily farm that supplied Monet with his colorful, crossbred water lilies. From Bordeaux, she traveled east through Provence, exploring the different places van Gogh lived, from Arles to Saint-Remy-de-Provence; and visited Cezanne's home in Aix-en-Provence, and stood in the park that provided the vantage point of the mountain he painted so many times. Next, she traveled to the high plateaus of eastern Provence, to see the lavender and sunflower fields against the dramatic backdrop of the Swiss Alps, before ending her trip on the French Riviera.
Sunset at Étretat, oil on canvas, 40 x 60"Each day, Hanson woke early to experience and photograph the golden hours of dawn and, later, dusk—the only times of day she paints. Upon returning to her studio in McMinnville, Oregon, Hanson set to work. The result is 30 large-scale works—one water lily painting is 9 feet wide—that include scenes from the Seine, Monet’s gardens, vineyards, olive groves, fields of lavender and sunflowers, Cezanne’s iconic mountain and more—all in her bold, color-saturated alla prima style.
Provence Lavender, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"
One of many highlights—and revelatory moments—for Hanson was visiting Monet’s gardens. “I’d seen so many of his lily pad paintings in person and in books,” she says. “You enter the gardens and there are all these trees and bamboo, and then you turn a corner and it’s like walking into one of his paintings. A light bulb went off when I realized those wavy green lines weren’t him trying to paint ripples—it was the reflections of the weeping willows all around his pond.“All through this trip I kept thinking ‘I’m standing in the same spot this famous artist stood.’ I definitely felt very connected to the Impressionists, as an American artist taking my first trip to Europe, and to see that they are really the roots of my style. They’re part of my heritage as an American impressionist,” she says. “Were it not for them, I wouldn’t be able to make a living as a landscape artist. And I like to think that my style has taken this style to another level.”
Monet’s Garden II, oil on canvas, 24 x 20"
Reflections of the Seine opens on September 14 with a reception from 1 to 5 p.m. Works from the series will remain on view until the collection sells out which, the artist says, tends to happen quickly.—
The Erin Hanson Gallery 1805 NE Colvin Court, McMinnville, OR 97128• (503) 334-3670 • www.erinhanson.com
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