Western Art Collector Magazine Features Erin Hanson's Red Rock Show

Western Art Collector interviewed Erin Hanson about her Red Rock collection for the June issue of its publication. If you’d like to own a copy of this magazine issue, you can order a print copy of Western Art Collector Issue #130 directly from the publisher.

Here is the interview:

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In recent years, Erin Hanson has focused her paintings on the California landscape, but for her newest exhibition of 15 paintings, she’s returning to a favorite subject - the Colorado Plateau. 

“I’m excited to get back to my red rock roots and dig out all my cadmium colors,” Hanson says, “I expect to see these landscapes in a whole new light and create them from a new point of view, as it has been a few years since immersing myself in the West.”

Twelve years ago, the red landscapes inspired Hanson to create one painting a week. “The stark outlines, flat planes of color, and striking color contrasts I discovered in Nevada and southern Utah were the basis for my chunky, semi-abstract style of painting, which has now become known as ‘Open Impressionism,” she explains.

Hanson finds the most inspiring time to observe the landscape is in the quiet before dawn. She has spent the past decade rock climbing and backpacking all across the plateau, and each of her experiences with the landscape speaks to her in a new way. She says, “I try to capture the underlying emotion one feels by standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon or exploring the impressive and otherworldly buttes of Arches National Park. I want to capture the grandeur and stark beauty of the southwest so that other people can experience its majesty.”

Her show at the at The Erin Hanson Gallery opens with a reception from 5 to 9 pm on June 16, and features paintings ranging from under 20 inches in size to over 6 feet. Gallery manager Amy Jensen says about the collection of works, “This is quite exciting since it is effectively taking her back to the birth of Open Impressionism…. This is where she first settled on her focus which has now taken her through over a decade of painting and a pretty phenomenal level of success within the industry.”

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Although the Red Rock Show is now over, some of the paintings are still on display at The Erin Hanson Gallery at 9705 Carroll Centre Road, San Diego, CA 92126. If you would like to see these incredible pieces in person, we are open from Wednesday through Sunday, 10am - 6pm or by appointment. Come revel in the beauty of red rock vistas from Utah and Arizona.

View the Red Rock Show 2018 collection here.