These Landscape Paintings are Part Impressionist, Part Expressionist

Early on, painter Erin Hanson made a promise to herself: every week, for the rest of her life, she would complete one painting. Using a unique technique of placing impasto paint strokes without layering, she combines 19th-century Impressionism with the lavish color palette of Expressionism – a style she named “Open Impressionism.”

After a lifetime of experimenting in different styles and mediums, it wasn’t until Hanson began rock climbing at Red Rock Canyon that her painting style was consolidated by a single inspiration and force of nature. Rock climbing among the cliffs of Nevada and Utah, while watching the seasons, and the light change daily across the desert, provided endless inspiration for her work.

These beautiful surroundings were also the backdrop for her decision to commit herself completely to her art, by painting, and then painting some more. Transforming landscapes into abstract mosaics of color and texture, her impasto application of paint lends a sculptural effect to her art.

“I think the modern or contemporary art world shies away from landscapes or natural beauty,” she told Art Aesthetics Magazine. “I don’t really understand why since it is one of the most pleasing art forms to the eye and certainly one of the most popular.

Scrolling through her Instagram page, you can definitely understand the appeal of landscape paintings.