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Steve Hanks
Although teachers often
cited his artistic ability, Steve Hanks' main interest while
growing up around San Francisco was sports.
After his family moved
to Albuquerque in 1966, Steve Hanks decided to study commercial
art. However, at the Academy of Fine Arts, he discovered the
challenge of drawing people. He graduated from the California
College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, during the explosive sixties.
Steve Hanks was deeply
affected by the maelstrom of shifting attitudes, as evidenced
by his art. Initially, his works were pencil drawings and oils.
Steve Hanks' paintings were impressionistic while his drawings
were realistic. Eventually, an allergic reaction to oils forced
him to experiment with watercolors. Using the techniques learned
from his other mediums, he found he could create watercolors
as "finished" as oils.
Art jurors began recognizing
the quality of his work in 1973. Steve Hanks won the Arts for
the Parks Marine Art Award of Excellence in 1990 and 1994, and
has been one of the Arts for the Parks top 100 artists since
1989. In 1991, Steve Hanks received the National Watercolor Society
Merit Award and the National Academy of Western Art awarded him
the Gold Medal in 1992. Since 1993, he has been one of U.S. Art
Magazine's top ten American artists. His original works are in
high demand by both public and private collectors.
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