Meet Erin Hanson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Hanson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Hi Erin, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

I am excited to wake up each day and go to work at my gallery in beautiful Oregon wine country. I get to paint for a living! I am inspired every day by the beautiful landscapes around me and the changing seasons. Every day I see more fall color, and the air is turning crisp and cold. Soon the leaves will drop, and I will paint the bare, abstract branches of the trees. I love the challenges of being an artist, I love the business and marketing side, and I love inspiring other artists to realize that they can make a living as an artist too.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have created a style of painting called Open Impressionism. I have figured out a way to use oil paints that lets me capture the emotional feeling of being out of doors and being inspired by Nature. I have a gallery and studio in Oregon that is the length of a football field. My team of ten employees helps me manage my growing art business. I sell 3D Textured Replicas of my original oil paintings, as well as books, calendars, and prints. People travel all the way to Oregon to tour my studio and see my facilities. We do as much as possible in-house, including 3D scanning, printing, making our own canvases and frames, and even making our own shipping boxes using giant CNC machines.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The way I was able to make a living as an artist–the way any young and ambitious artist can make a living painting what they love–is to do lots of outdoor art festivals. This is how I was able to build up a following of fans and collectors on my terms, without needing the permission of anyone else. I don’t believe in criticism of the arts. I create my art the way I want to, and then I find public who love my style and want to collect my work.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents did not let me or my three younger brothers watch television. We didn’t own a television, and there were no cell phones or ipads when I was growing up. We read for pleasure, even reading at the dinner table, so my father had to say on Friday nights — NO BOOKS at the table. My parents are both musicians, so I was raised with the understanding that if I wanted to get skilled at a craft, such as painting, I should practice every day. I believe in hard work, professionalism, and doing things the hard way without shortcuts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.erinhanson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinhansonartist/