French Impressionists in the American Southwest

When you look at Erin Hanson's paintings, it's as if the French Impressionists took a hike through the American West.

Hanson uses oil and impasto brush strokes in a style that's often called Open-Impressionism. And while the influence of Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Monet is clear, Hanson's formal training is in microbiology and multiple-variable calculus. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in bioengineering, she moved to the outskirts of Las Vegas and started climbing at Red Rock Canyon. The beauty and brilliance of her surroundings inspired her to make a radical professional and lifestyle shift: she vowed to create one painting every week. It's a promise she's kept for eight years.

You can see more of her landscapes here.

HT Colossal