Wax Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Holds the people together, 2022 by On Hansen Oil wax, acrylic, graphite, organic ink, and crayon on Awagami paper Image size: 35.03 in. H x 25.59 in. W Unfr...

Countably Infinite, 2022 by On Hansen Oil wax, acrylic, graphite, organic ink, and crayon on Awagami paper Image size: 35.03 in. H x 25.59 in. W Unframed ____________________________ On Hansen originally from Scandinavia is the pseudonym used by the photographer Cristian Hunter, a third-generation artist who has spent most of his professional career as a photographer. His work bears the traces of lived experiences, exploring the possibilities of formal abstraction, and seeking an organic experience between space and time through painting and photography. “There is no longer a single idea explaining everything, but an infinite number of essences giving meaning to an infinite number of objects. The world comes to a stop, but also lights up.” ― Albert Camus...

Now, where was I? 2022 by On Hansen Oil wax, acrylic, graphite, organic ink, and crayon on Awagami paper Image size: 35.03 in. H x 25.59 in. W Unframed ___...

I believe in beginnings and endings, 2022 by On Hansen Oil wax, acrylic, graphite, organic ink, and crayon on Awagami paper Image size: 35.03 in. H x 25.59 in. W Unframed _________...

Rinzen, 2021 by On Hansen Oil stick, wax, acrylic, and organic handmade ink on different layers of handmade Washi paper. Image size: 98 cm. H x 65 cm. W Unfr...

The Struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart, 2021 by On Hansen Rubber resin, rice paper, oil stick, wax pastel, and encaustic wax ...

The discipline of creating a drawing each day is a process, like a written diary, to clear the mind, to declutter thoughts, and to observe patterns. It is a method that allows the mind a freedom to wander and drift. A visual journal becomes a safe space for personal reflection–a self-awareness fueled by the opportunity for contemplation and immersion. The painted surface for the drawings was created by dividing five large paintings into 40 separate pieces. I chose five paintings from my Perspective Series (1993-94), which relied on day-to-day imagery that narrated a story about shifting time and how time anchors our day. The brush strokes of Perspectives are fluid, with muted colors – moving from deep blacks to taupe whites. Dividing these pieces was a means for me to rethink ideas and recurring images in my older work. The very thin gold leaf applied to each piece has a wonderful amber tone. This gold leaf is from Myanmar, where it is used as decoration for Buddha or for the dome of a temple or monastery. In the drawings, the gold element relates to the sense of infinity – like the sky in an enclosed courtyard. An architectural element is a critical component in my studio work that I wanted to carry over into these pieces. I envisioned a courtyard–a safe space that opens up to the sky. Unfolding circles define the beginnings of an open interior space. The process felt open-ended. It was an opportunity to get lost in thought and to give me an opportunity to reflect, muse and declutter my thinking. Then repeat. 40 days...