"Steve Hanks... passed away in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 22 after a battle with cancer. 'Art comes from a deep inner sense of direction. It starts with a re-evaluation of your own life, from a search for the source of the impulses and mystery of it all. I think of myself as an emotional realist. Emotion is what I want to portray. Realism is just my way of doing it.' - Steve Hanks (http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2015/12/Steve-Hanks.html) Hanks was born into a military family in San Diego in 1949. ,,,[He] grew up playing tennis and surfing along the beaches of Southern California. “The ocean made a strong and lasting impression on me. It was good for the soul to be out in the water-surfing, swimming, or simply getting in touch with its mysterious power”. ... Hanks calls his style ‘emotional realism’. He often leaves the faces of his figures obscured or turned away, not only to leave the face to the imagination of the viewer but also to allow the entire figure to express the emotion. Backlighting is also a signature element of his style. "Sunlight has become one of my favorite subjects. I’m fascinated by how it filters through things, how it floods a whole room with color. Often my paintings are really more about sunlight than anything else". His marriage to Laura and the arrival of three children provided new inspiration for the artist. Many lovingly rendered domestic scenes were added to the portfolio during those years. .... "I’ve tried to be esponsible and put positive images out into the world," says Hanks. "I hope that my work brings comfort, pleasure and insight into people’s lives.''" http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2011/09/steve-hanks-1949-san-diego-watercolor.html undefined

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