ST. GEORGE — The St. George Art Museum has a year-long program in honor of the National Park Service’s Centennial celebration this year. The series of National Park-oriented events kicks off with Erin Hanson’s “Painted Parks” Exhibition, Jan. 16 through May 28, showcasing three dozen impressionistic pieces. The pieces showcase majestic national park landscapes, from Bryce Canyon to the Oregon Cascades.
Hanson said that the national parks have been a source of artistic inspiration for her ever since she was a child exploring the great outdoors.
When she was invited to showcase her paintings at the St. George Art Museum, she said she was excited for the opportunity to share her vision of the national parks with the world
“I love the intense, saturated colors I see at dawn and sunset, and many of my paintings are re-imagined creations of those times of day,” Hanson said. “I use vivid colors to excite the imagination, allowing viewers to explore their own experiences and dreams of the wide outdoors. My thick, chunky style of laying on paint strokes has an impressionistic feel that makes you want to reach out and touch the canvas. I want my paintings to be as alive and vibrant as the scenery that inspired them.”
Hanson went on a 50-mile backpacking trip from Kolob Canyon to the East Gate of Zion National Park. The trail led her, Hanson said, through impossibly steep cliffs, and the staircase-shape of the trail inspired the painting “First Snow,” included in this collection.
The public is invited to experience this anticipated collection. The St. George Art Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Event details
- What: “Painted Parks” by Erin Hanson
- When: Jan. 16-May 28
- Where: St. George Art Museum, 175 E. 200 North, St. George
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