Much of Steve Hanks’ art carries subtle symbolism with children as the focal point. These paintings are filled with his hopes for the young. After all, what is more pleasing than a baby bath, except possibly two babies in the bath and in this particular painting, they are a friend’s fraternal twins, a boy and girl. Curiosity and fascination with water begins at the very beginning. These two are splashing, patting and swirling their way to figuring out the physical world, and each other. Is one leading the way or is the other giving orders? This simple summer backyard scene by artist Steve Hanks will find a home in your playroom, nursery, or bathroom.

Nestled in the splendor of Banff National Park lies a Canadian national treasure¯the emerald colored waters of Lake Louise. “Until you have the chance to go there, you can’t understand just how beautiful Canadian Rockies are. To me,” emphasizes Steve Hanks, “this place is Canada.” Hanks is renowned as one of the finest figurative artists painting today. That description understates his skills as a landscape artist and the importance he puts on the specific environments he creates for the figures he paints. “The title of this painting really says it all, Canadian Beauty. A striking woman with auburn hair relaxes at the water’s edge in mid-summer, with Chateau Lake Louise and the jagged snow-capped mountains in the background. The blend of serenity and majesty that this place radiates is awe-inspiring.”
The character of Banff and of the Canadian Rockies is completely different than that of their American counterparts because of their geography and geology. Most dramatically, they appear steeper and more jagged because of the extent to which the limestone and shale has been carved out by glaciers. The cooler and wetter climate that enhanced the formation of these glaciers created moister soil for lush forests and larger rivers as well.
The Chateau Lake Louise is one of the iconic railway hotels built in the early 1900s by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The lake itself is fed by mountain streams and is given its turquoise hue by fine particles of rock ground to nearly microscopic size by the glaciers above.
Canadian Beauty is available as an oversize Masterwork™ Fine Art Edition Canvas in an extremely low edition of 20 pieces and as a medium sized Fine Art Edition Canvas of 50. Don’t miss this opportunity to be one of the few to own Steve Hanks’ tribute to the magnificence of the pearl of the Canadian Rockies.

A woman stands in the shallow water, lost in contemplation. As the cool waves wash gently over her feet, she feels the warmth of the sun on her back and shoulders and is thankful for her surroundings, for the blessings in her life and for new beginnings. New Shoreline, like all of Steve Hanks' work, is rich with layers of symbolism and meaning. His titles are often the key to understanding the deeper message waiting to be discovered in each painting, and they often have more than one meaning. This young woman stands on a new shoreline that is unfamiliar and yet it opens a new world of opportunities. Waves wash away the superficial layers of her past as she prepares herself for the many challenges and possibilities the future offers. She stands ready on the New Shoreline.

When a child is learning a musical instrument, it may be hard for them and their family to patiently endure the practice time. The presence of the cat shows that practice has paid off and now the music is so comforting that even the family cat will stay around to enjoy it.

She’s at the edge of a low wall with no clear path ahead but her eyes are drawn to the sweep of white foam from the crashing waves in the cove below. From there her dreams can soar. The turn of her head contributes to the painting’s expression of solitude and yet we share her view. Everything about this woman says “confidence” and the beautiful composition of physical and geographic curves presents an elegant portrait for any room in the house. Scenic View is published as a giclée on paper, virtually identical to the watercolor of the original painting.

The beauty and seeming simplicity of this Steve Hanks painting gives little hint of the complexity within it. Each child interacts with the rain differently. As we grow older our perspective broadens and nowhere is this more obvious than with children. As with many Hanks paintings, Summer Rain is a metaphor for life. The umbrella and companionship offer these girls shelter from passing storms. They will master the simple steps of living and then apply them to life’s harder challenges.
“This is a recent painting I did on Clayboard,” says artist Steve Hanks, “a surface that still amazes me as a watercolor artist. The colors are brighter, the rainwater and reflections are even more realistic.” Summer rain is a passing necessity for everything that grows and a thing of wonderment to the young. Bring a little Summer Rain into your home or business with this new release from Steve Hanks.

“On the surface, the story behind this painting is straight forward,” begins Steve Hanks. “This young woman has decided that it is time for her to leave home and make her own way in the world. The choice is hers and she is confident and self assured in her decision. But as it is with most of my paintings, there is a deeper, personal story to it. “Years ago I painted a piece called Traveling with Dad. It showed me holding my daughter on an empty platform at a deserted railway stop. I painted that image at what was, without a doubt, the lowest point of my life. I was on my own raising two kids and the painting truly captured that feeling of the unknown future that we were heading toward. You’ll notice that this young woman carries the same suitcase I had on the platform.”
“Today, I am a long way down that track and it turns out our stop was in New Mexico. I have always painted the mountains, the sea and rivers and lakes so it seemed to me for the longest time that Albuquerque was a place that I was going to either pass through or leave from. Well, the years passed and time has revealed that this was our destination. Albuquerque is our home. That little girl I once could easily hold in my arms is now grown up. The future is hers. She is going to be making her own decisions, which will determine the places she is headed toward.”
There Are Places to Go is as fine an example of contemporary realism as you are going to find today in the art world. Steve Hanks is recognized as one of the country’s most important figurative artists. His technical skills combined with his captivating storytelling set his work apart from others. There Are Places to Go is available as both a drop-dead gorgeous Fine Art Canvas as well as an attractive regular-sized Fine Art Giclee Paper. Don’t let this train leave the station without you and don’t miss the chance to enrich your home with this work of fine art.

Water is an elemental force in much of artist Steve Hanks’ work whether it be ocean-based landscapes, or figures in lakes, rivers, and yes, even bathwater. We are, after all, largely made from water. Its movement and fluidity reflect and inspire our lives. Hanks paintings of children offer beautiful surface stories layered with potent meaning. He stays connected to both the loneliness and the magic of childhood. Time of Wonder conveys the unknown possibilities in the future of a single young life as he faces the seemingly infinite ocean. “What I like most about this painting is the way the overcast, misty sky affects the light and colors, like the clarity of the waves breaking behind the boy and the fog sitting on the mountains in the background,” says the artist. “It’s a very solitary, magical place and this youngster is not standing still in this vast landscape. He’s moving forward.”

"I believe that art can be more than just pretty pictures. Art should bring comfort to people. It should be by our side when we go through good times and hard times," says Steve Hanks. "Art should elicit a thought provoking examination of one's own life and place in the world."
"We all experience pain, but there are great moments of pleasure all around us too. These moments may often be fleeting and get by us before we are able to fully comprehend their beauty and importance. I have tried to capture a few of these moments in paintings that can be savored for years to come."
The beauty of this joyful moment is infectious. Steve Hanks has succeeded in capturing that perfect, uplifting energy in "To Dance Before the Sea and Sky.