Julie Hansen

The open sky is a mystery to me. It is ever changing and elusive. The heavens can lift our spirits and give us hope. When we pause to enjoy their splendor we become closer to understanding their vastness. I have always felt drawn to the skies. As an artist, I enjoy the challenge of capturing a fleeting sunset, soft rain or thundercloud. By focusing on the prismatic, abstract quality of the sky, my work becomes almost dreamlike. The places I paint are often familiar, sometimes remembered or imagined. Familiar places such as the plains of Kansas and the Flint Hills serve as inspiration for many of the pieces. My goal is to romanticize the moment and for you, the viewer, to delight in the spirit of the sky.

I use soft pastels with rich, intense colors and buttery texture. Their unique characteristics allow me to employ both my drawing and painting skills in a single painting. I refer to my work as “pastel paintings”. My process is more similar to oil painting than drawing.

I start by crumbling the pastels and letting them fall onto the prepared surface. With my hands, I blend the pastel powder and particles into the tooth of the paper. I also use tools to create other textures such as a razor’s edge, palette knife, towel, or brush. The first layer or two of color is sprayed with fixative. I keep the top layer fresh with pastel. Several layers are applied to achieve the desired depth of each painting.

Pastels have great beauty and longevity when framed properly. Many of Edgar Degas’ original pastels are over one hundred and fifty years old and still look crisp and colorful.

Artists whose work has inspired me are Wolf Kahn, Edgar Degas, and J.M.W. Turner.

----- Julie Hoban Hansen is a Kansas City native. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America. Her work is in private and corporate collections, nationally and internationally.

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