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" Streets of New
Orleans " |
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" Morning Bath " |
| Water is…a challenge,”
says Steve Hanks. “It adds a transparent, reflective
layer over skin. The symbolism is quite different,
though. Water has a cleansing quality. It can be seen as
washing away the past and moving on.”
Hanks has overcome the
“challenge” of painting water in exquisite fashion in
Morning Bath. His understanding of the behavior of light
on skin imbues the piece with a radiant elegance.
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" Beyond the Horizon " |
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Story for the artwork - if available
“The Pacific Ocean is one of my great loves,” says
Hanks. “It’s the ultimate edge. It’s a place for contemplation and reflection, a
place to remind us of the scale of our one life against the great forces of
nature. ”The ocean, with its vast horizons and pounding surf, has been a source
of endless inspiration to Hanks. As with many Hanks paintings, the scene is
layered with mystery. Who is this woman? Is she pressed against the edge of the
earth or is she contemplating her wide-open future? Beyond the Horizon,
with its spectacular sea and landscape, make a provocative and
sophisticated statement.
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" Duet " |
When a child is learning a musical
instrument, it’s difficult for the student as well as their family
to patiently endure the practice time. The presence of the cat in
Duet shows that practice has paid off and now the music
is so comforting that even the family cat will stay around to enjoy
it.
“My paintings of children are about
my hopes and dreams for them, and about my desire to expose them to
the arts: literature, art, music, dance and theater. I want to
encourage them to make decisions for themselves, to stand on their
own two feet, to think for themselves and to reach for their
dreams.”
-Steve Hanks
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" Waiting in the
Rain" |
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After a period of
personal loss, Steve Hanks began a series of paintings visualizing
his healing process. This inspiring series, which can be found in
its entirety in the new book Moving On: The Art of Steve Hanks,
follows the artist’s emotional journey from despair to hope. Waiting
in the Rain is one of the last paintings in the healing
series.
“At this point I had
come out of my sadness. I began to think about the future. I thought
about the kind of person I would want to come into my life.
Waiting in the Rain is the visualization of that person, someone
supportive and faithful. We would all like to have someone there
waiting for us when we return from a trip.”
- Steve Hanks |
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Hardcover Book
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" Moving On: The
Art of Steve Hanks " |
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Steve Hanks is first and foremost a figure painter.
His watercolor paintings are infused with emotion and a kind of
poetry formed by light and shadow in his compositions. He often
paints what he refers to as "moments of introspective solitude,"
with deep respect for the privacy of the individual lost in
reflection. Each painting holds a mystery that is also a personal
story about the artist as he expresses his own emotional unfolding
through art.
Just as writers are urged to "write what you know," Steve Hanks
paints what he lives. When his children were born his work was
filled the profound intimacy between infants and parents the
unexpected joy of toddlers, and the wonder of youngsters finding
their way in the outside world.
The emotional impact of these detailed
and highly realistic paintings is undeniable. Whatever the
subject—children, families, women, nudes, landscape, moving water,
or textile patterns—the paintings are also about light and shadow,
and reflect a personal challenge, pain, or joy of the artist
The paintings in this volume represent
the most extensive collection of the artist's work in over ten
years. Some time after his divorce in the 1990s, Steve began a
series of paintings about healing. The paintings in this series are
both deeply personal in their symbolism of the artist's own life and
universal in their emotion and experience. "I want my whole body of
work to tell a story when I'm gone," says Steve. "It will tell the
story of my life emotionally." - Steve Hanks |
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" To Dance Before
the Sea and Sky " |
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"I believe that art can be more than
just pretty pictures. Art should bring comfort to people. It should
be by our side when we go through good times and hard times,"
art should elicit a thought provoking examination of one's own life
and place in the world."
"We all experience pain, but there
are great moments of pleasure all around us too. These moments may
often be fleeting and get by us before we are able to fully
comprehend their beauty and importance. I have tried to capture a
few of these moments in paintings that can be savored for years to
come."
- Steve Hanks |
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Listening to the River |
"A river is heading somewhere, it's got
direction, Listening to the River is about listening to the world
you're in and waiting for its guidance.
The woman is thinking about where she's headed."
~ Steve Hanks |
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New Shoreline |
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A woman stands in the shallow water, lost
in contemplation. As the cool waves wash gently over her feet, she feels the
warmth of the sun on her back and shoulders and is thankful for her
surroundings, for the blessings in her life and for new beginnings.
New
Shoreline, like all of Steve Hanks' work, is rich with layers of symbolism
and meaning. His titles are often the key to understanding the deeper
message waiting to be discovered in each painting, and they often have more
than one meaning.
This young woman stands on a new
shoreline that is unfamiliar and yet it opens a new world of opportunities.
Waves wash away the superficial layers of her past as she prepares herself
for the many challenges and possibilities the future offers. She stands
ready on the New Shoreline. |
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Nature's
Touch |
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“When a painting occurs at seaside, often
the subjects are contemplating significant passages in their lives."
"Bathed in the glow of a warm sun, the
woman in this painting is connecting
with nature and the uncomplicated joy of life. Poised and confident she dips
her foot beneath the surface, an overture to exploring the unknown.”
-Steve Hanks |
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Limited Edition Print
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image size:
26" x 13 3/8" |
$200.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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Limited Edition Canvas
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image size:
29" x 15" |
$630.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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My
Little Angel |
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“It is rare that I paint a piece with no
background. Since there is no competition with the image, the angel, my
daughter, appears to be floating within the white of the paper,” says Hanks
of his fine art limited edition My Little Angel. “The piece is about
treasuring times when your kids are still young and innocent and like to
dabble in make-believe.The colors are soft and subtle and create a feeling
that the angel is gliding. A lovely way to revisit the charms of childhood.” |
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Limited Edition Canvas
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image size: 10" x 11" |
$225.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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Country
Girls |
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"Country Girls is simply about enjoying
the times when your children are small," says Steve Hanks. Sometimes his
pieces convey layers of meaning, this piece, however, in a smaller scale
than Hanks usually paints, conveys the beauty of two tow-headed girls
enjoying a moment outdoors in the country. In what could be Anytown, USA,
Hanks captures an innocent time of pretending and the simple joys of
childhood. |
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Fine Art Giclee Canvas
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image size: 16" x 11" |
$285.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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A New
Beginning |
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"Any healing process can be a lengthy
one," says Steve Hanks. "Often it can be helped by attempting to visualize
the future. Such is the inspiration for A New Beginning. This is, in fact,
the final painting in a series of three that have used the ascent of the
staircase to track this woman's passage. By reaching the landing at the top,
she has completed her growing process and is ready to move on. This
staircase reminds us to take things in life one step at a time, that a
promise of reward and satisfaction-the top of the staircase-and a new view
of the world around you, is a situation you can help create for yourself." |
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Fine Art
MasterWork™ Giclee Canvas
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image size:
20" x 40"
(unstretched) |
$1025.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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Limited Edition
Print
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image size:
14" x 27
1/2" |
$210.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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From a
Higher Level |
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The art of Steve Hanks is rich with
symbolism and metaphor. His titles are a key to understanding the deeper
message waiting to be discovered in each painting, and, often have more than
one meaning. “From a Higher Level is, on one hand a relationship piece, and
on the other, about the necessity of getting above the messiness of life’s
daily grind. Simple but conscious acts can lift us out of the toil and
finally place us on a higher ground,” Hanks says. “The piece is also about
communication, and how the rider and horse converse without necessarily
using words. The rider and horse can also represent the relationship between
art and the ability of art to communicate beyond words—From a Higher Level.”
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Limited Edition Giclee Canvas
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image size:
31" x 20" |
$840.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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Limited Edition Print
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image size:
24" x 15
1/2" |
$210.00 (Cdn) |
More info or to order
by phone click here |
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