Steve
Hanks is one of the famous watercolor artists around the world.
Steve
Hanks was born in 1949 in San Diego, California.The family was
transferred to New Mexico when he was a junior in high school.
After
high school, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in San Francisco
and transferred to the California College of Arts and Crafts, where
he graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree.
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| (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal) |
Steve
Hanks experimented with many media – oils, watercolor, pencil,
acrylics. But he found his calling in watercolor and became
well-known in the world art community.
Steve
Hanks called his style “emotional realism” as he often left the
faces of his figures obscured or turned away. This was not only to
leave the face to the imagination of the viewer, but also to allow
the entire figure to express the emotion.
Steve
Hanks and Laura Hanks had three children. As the family grew, it
provided new inspiration for him. Laura
and their children were the subjects of some of his works.
Steve
Hanks paintings contains a mystery, and reveals the emotions and
stories of the artist who created them. Backlighting was a signature
aspect of his works, as Steve Hanks was fascinated by how it filtered
through things and would brighten rooms with color.
Steve
Hanks considered his style “emotional realism,” and created works
that portrayed the smallest of details, such as the patterns on a
skirt to the expressive faces of his subjects, whether they were
infants, children or adults. He would also obscure the faces of his
subjects, instead allowing their setting and body language to convey
emotions.
Steve
Hanks could master any medium. He created stone lithographs by hand,
and was famous for producing fine art
with
Etch A Sketch toys.
Steve
Hanks,
passed away in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 22, 2015 after a
battle with cancer.
“I’ve
tried to be responsible and put positive images out into the world,”
he said. “I hope that my work brings comfort, pleasure and insight
into people’s lives.”
“All
art is an escape to somewhere you want to be or a feeling you want to
have,” Hanks said. “People see different things in my paintings
because we all have different backgrounds and feelings.”
“I
want my whole body of work to tell a story when I’m gone,” he
said. “It will tell the story of my life emotionally."
-Authorized Steve Hanks Gallery.
Steve Hanks complete collection of amazing watercolors.
