Contemporary Paintings

Jill Hanson-Fahnoe

My investigation is into visual relationships and processes as metaphors for personal transformation.  Geologic formations, lakes and trees of my native Minnesota, and travels in the Southwest US and Australia are among my visual influences for these themes.  The metaphor themes fall into three realms.

I. The first metaphor is two-dimensional art as a visual approximation of one’s personal energy field. In my expressionistic figurative work and geometric minimalist work, rock configurations, petroglyphs and cave paintings are sources of inspiration.  The abstracted female figure appears… (read more)

II. The second metaphor is an interplay between illusion in painting and dynamic tensions in human experience.  I work en plein air doing Impressionist inspired landscape work and Tonalist inspired landscape work.  I also reference Expressionistic landscape in creating studio work.  Compositionally I am drawn to employing a central energy space or field, and take inspiration from Rudolf Arnheim’s book “The Power of the Center.”  For me, light, color as light, value relationships and similar painterly concerns are sung as counterpoint to… (read more)

III. The third metaphor is the art-making process itself. Creating art raises questions about stretching oneself, struggle, conflict and resolution.  Other questions touch on why we make art, art training, knowledge, wisdom, conventions, vitality. I am very intrigued with what we can learn from children’s art, outsider art, folk art and indigenous art. These inquiries have been inherently entwined with my work as teacher of art.  To address these questions I pursue varied genres; the aforementioned, as well as arenas of expressive naturalistic work, stylized illustrative work and healing imagery.