Sheila Finch

An accomplished artist who has studied abroad in various countries Sheila Finch sees the elegant subtlety in colors dismissed by the casual viewer. This continued exploration of color is captured in her current series of skyscapes that both mesmerize and enchant as the viewer dances across through an array of beautiful tonal shifts throughout her work to evoke a mood of peace and serenity. The longer one looks upon her work the more one tends to see which is the beauty of natures more abstracted features. Read more about the artist below and explore her work more extensively on our website, www.hansongalleryfineart.com. 

Ask Sheila Finch if she is an artist, and she replies “Yes, that is who I am.” Not 'what', but 'who’. The deep truth of this statement has been borne out over and over as she has become the latest source of delightful works for private and corporate art collectors around the globe. Landscapes on the verge of abstracts reveal both her passion and her genius for color, for creating not just a scene, but the mood it engenders, as well.

Living and painting from her boat, Sheila gathers scenes from the sea to build a repertoire of visually stunning images. Her skyscapes show the acumen of a painter who knows water. Her art floats between the ethereal realm of abstraction and the concrete texture of realism.

Her genius with color developed early in her life. It began at the age of 13 in Ohio when her boyfriend made her a gift of watercolors and an easel. “I was impressed. These were professional artist supplies! He eventually became my husband',” she laughs. Her mother, also an artist, enrolled her in a class to study with a regional artist, concentrating on the basics of studio painting, her only formal training. At the age of 16, Sheila sold her first work and has since been a productive and successful artist who has sold works to corporate and private collectors both here and abroad. It was during this early period that she created her first award-winning work.

In 1992, Sheila and her family moved to Germany, where she first began painting outdoors, from real life, in the little village where she lived, Hutschenhausen. Sheila joined a professional painting artists tour through France. Included among the en-plein-air stops was a day of painting in Monet's Giverny gardens. She credits this experience for triggering a “quantum leap in my creative development.”

“I began to focus on a more abstracted style of landscape, becoming less interested in painting specific details, and much more interested in the thousands of subtle shades of warm and cool colors from nature,” Sheila recalls. As she developed her new style, she would seek out books on art and artists.

“When I first saw the work of the color field artist Marc Rothko, I was intrigued by the manner in which my eyes perceived colors as my gaze followed the edges of the large blocks of color in each painting... how my perception of the hues changed. For example, an outer color that is purple could make an interior area of yellow ochre look green instead of yellow... a muted brown next to a pure swatch of ultramarine blue made the blue look so much brighter... This was the beginning of my intense exploration of the use of color and pattern to create an emotional impression,” she recalls. “Another artist who has had a profound influence on my work is Wolf Kahn, for a similar reason, even though his landscapes are very different from Rothko's abstracts.” While in Europe, Finch had exhibits in Paris, and Germany.

Coastal Clouds Series #3

Moving to Northern California has again taken her work to a new level. “California is so visually stimulating, I cannot paint my emotional responses quickly enough to capture them all. I remember my first trip into the Sierras and not being able to breath. It wasn't the altitude,” she laughs, “we weren't that far above sea level yet!”

Through her use of color, Sheila strives to recreate strong, emotional impacts on the viewer. “I find I am drawn to images of landscapes that boarder on the abstract, and to abstracts which have a somewhat organic, defined nature,” she explains. Sheila has been featured multiple times by Gold River Scene Magazine and recognized by the National Arts Appreciation Program and Le Bateau Lavoir in Paris.

Corporate Collections
Carnegie Foundation, California
Intuit Corporation, California
Johnson & Johnson
Sutter Roseville Medical Center, California
The Lily Company, California
Charter Publishing Company, California

Denis Ribas

Born in Perpingnan France and now living in Catalonia Denis Ribas has seen much beauty throughout his life and as an athlete who spends time outdoors it is no wonder that he developed the desire to paint his surroundings, both urban and natural. Unique in his method is a modern impressionistic style of thick paint much like impasto painting infused with an art deco palette. As an active person in life he likes to see art as a process and to him a painting is not complete until he sees and hears the reaction of the viewer. This is the moment he enjoys the most about a painting because it reminds him of his reactions to his subject matter and his ability to approach life with youthful wonder as if it is being experienced for the first time. Below is an excerpt from our website, http://www.hansongalleryfineart.com.

Place de la Liberte. Ceret

A proud Catalan, Denis Ribas was born in Perpignan in 1954.During his childhood his father, a famous mountaineer and writer, instilled in him his passion for nature.
Denis originally trained at the Perpignon School of Fine Arts. Denis only paints
en plein air (outdoors).

As soon as the artist has selected the landscape based on the angles, the hour of the day, and the brightness of colors he paints on the finest linen.

For questions or more information please email us at info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at 415-332-1815.

JalinePol - Souvenir Flamboyant

This time we circle back to a previous artist and rather than highlighting the artist as we typically do we will focus on a piece. JalinePol, who is our feature artist next month for her annual show here at Hanson Gallery Fine Art created a still life piece titled "Souvenir Flamboyant" where she explores her trademark impasto technique of painting wet on wet primarily using a palette knife to render her work, especially the beautiful petals seen in her bouquets. This normally results in a dry time that can take up to months. 

Though she often uses a range of colors, or contrasting colors, this one is primarily monochromatic using wisps of yellow to accent the the edges of petals and the table below. The differing values of red cause the piece change remarkably as the light condition varies showing that Jaline thinks forward about the presentation she is striving to achieve. The reds are also powerful and bold but equally seductive. The chunky vases, which are inspired by a thick tree trunk on Jaline's estate in France, and the masculine table contrast beautifully with the more feminine petal work that is the focal point of the piece. This mixture of elements lends to the broad appeal of her work and is perfect for couples who own an art collection together. In the background is the faint presence of window panes which she enjoys including in many of her pieces but also acts as a preview and anchor for another of her series in which she explores landscapes.

Feel free to browse her works here and see some of her other existing themes. The show begins May 5th and runs through June 2nd and we are excited to announce that JalinPol will in fact be attending the show On Saturday May 5th from 2-5 PM.

Pietro Piccoli

This time we stick with the same theme of European port cities as we did in the last post but in a new vein as we discuss recently introduced artist, Pietro Piccoli. Piccoli has taken a classic theme and popular style of modern impressionist painting and reinvented it with unique broad brushstrokes and palette knife applications that abstract the environment with cubist undertones. Often times he will experiment with the way light dances on the trees in the foreground giving his painting a unique sense of depth and lush amount of color. Please enjoy Picocoli's works on our website, www.hansongalleryfineart.com and read more about him below.


Pietro Piccoli was born in 1954 in the small town of Montopoli di Sabina in central Italy. At a very early age, he became fascinated with the arts and, at the age of sixteen, was enrolled by his parents in Latina's high school for the arts.

Luci e Vele a Bosa Sardegna

By the age of twenty, Piccoli was off to Rome, which in the early 70's was an exciting place for a young artist. It was a hotbed of new ideas and on the cutting edge of the international art scene. Piccoli immediately immersed himself in this new environment, experimenting with new ideas and absorbing the innovative concepts of the many artists whose studios he frequented and to whom he apprenticed himself. Moreover, for a year or so, he traveled in the north of Italy and visited Paris and Zurich.


The 80's comprised a second period of active experimentation in Piccoli's career. He investigated new mediums and sought new ways of weaving together the major strands of his style, realism and abstraction, visual detail and imagination. Variously, he tried impressionism, expressionism, and fauvism. Within ten years, he had found a definite direction toward the synthesis he was seeking. His colors became brighter, his brushwork more free. Soon he began adding patches of pure abstraction as a sort of "out-of -focus" overlay in front of the pure landscape. These patches serve as a visual relief from the strongly geometric architectural forms. In his most recent works, the subject matter has become incorporated into the abstraction.

Ramon Pujol

Ramon Pujol is back. This celebrated artist is now featured once again in the gallery and his works can be seen here, www.hansongalleryfineart.com. As an accomplished and classically trained oil painter from Spain, Pujol likes to capture the idyllic beauty of port side cities throughout Europe. Within this distinct colorful style he captures a serene and underpopulated city with sparse clusters of boats so he can to show off his true talent of being a reflectionist painter and play with dancing waves of color. Below is his biography. 

Ramon Pujol was born in Olot, Spain in 1947. His family met his early talent as a gifted artist with encouragement and clear acceptance. From a very early age, paint brushes and colors were his favorite toys. Pujol says that an artist is born, is made and develops. As such, his first academic training was at the Escola de Belles Artes de Olot. From this training he was granted the opportunity to study under the masterful teaching of Luis Carbonell and later Gussinye. 

Ramon Pujol admires the styles of many different artists like Cezanne, Gaugin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and especially Monet and Manet. His main influence, although, is nature. The colors, changes in the light, luminosity and opacity inspire him to depict amazing light reflections on water. Initially, Pujol insisted on the use of the palette knife gave way to systematic use of brushes. With his change his paintings began to reveal a deep understanding and interpretation of depth, light and atmosphere.

The meticulous style of Pujol renders a level of distinction that sets his work apart from other painters. As such, he has received gold medals at the Autumn Salon in Marseille, France and the International Salon in Evian, France in addition to countless awards in his native country of Spain.

The Colors of Portofino

Pujol prefers to stay away from abstract painting because he feels that understanding is a very important part of art. It is essential for the artist and the spectator to share a common bond when looking at a painting. Viewers of Pujol's art can easily see his love for the beauties in nature and his adoration for travelling to exquisite spots all around Europe. He journeys to Portofino, Venice and La Spezia, Italy every year, along with northern and southern Spain. He also enjoys visiting Paris, Holland, Switzerland and Greece.

Ramon Pujol has had an impressive number of exhibits. His first show was in 1965, when he was 18 years old and now he has had over 130 in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Majorca and Washington, just to name a few. Upon introducing the original painting s of Pujol to the international art world reception to the work of this Spanish master has been outstanding. The alluring atmosphere and reflections of his works pull the viewer into a beautiful and tranquil world, the world of Ramon Pujol.

Ramon Pujol has several books published on his life and achievements. Among these are Ramon Pujol by Joan Barrill, 2 books entitled Ramon Pujol by Jose Maria Cadena, and Ramon Pujol Reflections by Jose Maria Cadena.


For questions or more information please email us at info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.

Donna Young

No one creates a beautiful  hybrid of classical and contemporary styles better than Donna Young. To add to her repertoire is a series of themes that span from lucid colored expressive water scenes to expansive impressionist landscapes. Read more about this amazing Washington artist below as seen from from our website Hanson Gallery Fine Art.

Lakeside

Donna Young's devotion to startling jubilant color is contagious. Inspired by the French Masters, such as Monet, Matisse and Van Gogh, Donna invigorates her canvases in dynamic immediate brushstrokes. Sparkling tones used in her lush landscapes and opulent water reflections are layered with expressive rhythm. Her scenes are poetically textured with spirited energy and allow the viewer to connect to a stunning appreciation of our natural world. Sensuous pattern, tempered with vigorous color, tell a story of an impressionist vision through the use of an abstracted contemporary approach, giving the viewer a sense of quiet harmony and space. Her experience of life, passion for color and refinement of technique combine to offer incredible works that are rich in energy, a celebration to the eye, and seem almost as timeless as nature itself.

Donna is a graduate of Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle, WA (1976), and has exhibited constantly while received numerous artistic awards. Her visions of nature have resulted in exhibitions in major corporate headquarters as well as having earned a strong following among private collectors and celebrities.

For questions or more information please email us at info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.

Thomas Easley

Self taught, Thomas Easley is one of the most prolific artists of our time. Having lived in numerous places throughout the world, he seized each opportunity to explore a new form of artistic expression that has led him to become accomplished in a myriad of styles and forms of subject matter that range from minuatures to realism and from nudes to abstract expressionism; he is modern renaissance man. Below is more about the artist  from our website, www.hansongalleryfineart.com. 

Tall in the Morning Light

Thomas Easley was born in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains where he spent his youth enjoying the deep woods and grand vistas in and around the Lake Tahoe basin.

Easley did not go to art school. He is a self-taught artist whose successful career spanning 30 years and three continents has taken him from the snow capped Sierras of his childhood to the verdant hills of England, the canals of Venice and the banks of the holy Ganges in India.

Each location has provided Easley with insight for his inquisitive mind and inspirationfor his blend of painting styles and techniques: In England he painted illuminations, miniatures and portraits, in Italy he painted nudes, architectural landscapes and floral still life, India’s mysticism made him delve into dimensional realism, surrealism and allegorical works.
Since Easley’s return to the United States, he has focused on wine still life paintings that are reminiscent of the warmly lit rich style of European masters and energetic roosters filled with attitude and elegance. He also paints textured cityscapes, landscapes and sensual nudes in his Extreme Impressionism style.

Easley lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and two sons.

For questions or more information please email us info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.

Jaline Pol

Jaline Pol has been featured in our gallery for close to a decade and has been loved and collected by visitors from all over the world. She has a remarkable passion for life that is clearly reflected in her use of vibrant colors and the intense dimensionality of her work. Having been classically trained at the same school of Impressionism that Degas, Renoir, and Monet were trained, Jaline Pol takes the patient medium of oil paint to a whole new level in an active seizing of the moment through use of a pallet knife. Learn more about her below and at our website: www.hansongalleryfineart.com.

Emotion of Happiness

The reaction to Jaline Pol's work is immediate and intense. She is one of the finest contemporary French impressionists of our time. Jaline has been influenced by many of the places where she visited or lived. These places include France, Cameroon, New Caledonia, the Middle East and Bora Bora. JalinePol was born in Northern France in 1946.

She studied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. Her colors are bright and daring. A myriad of warm tones catch the eye and bring a smile to the face of the beholder. They evoke and provoke a happy mood.

Some of her bouquet paintings are almost monochrome in which she experiments with various tones and shades of a color, highlighting and reinforcing each one through the 'contrast' with another nuance. Her colors represent the seasons: spring yellows, summery reds, autumnal ochre and sienna, winter blues and whites. These latter 'cold colors' are particularly effective as they create a reposeful, comforting ambience that is pleasing to the spirit.

JalinePol works exclusively with a palette knife which renders a three dimensional relief, giving the illusion of sculpted paint. She masters thick layers of paint on the smallest to the largest of surfaces, from the leaf of a flower to the vast expanse of meadow. One is attracted to the tactile nature of her works and this often provokes a desire to 'pick the flowers'. She even taught palette knife technique at group workshops in her hometown of Lille, France.

Realism goes hand in hand with illusion and fleeting impressions. One could be walking through a field of poppies and yet it is almost as if you can see the wind. Her style is inspired by the great masters of the Impressionist movement, but has evolved and developed giving her works a unique, original feel and touch. Movement suffuses her works. They exude the dynamism of marching armies, rippling waters, swaying cornfields and dancing flowers.

JalinePol's talent knows no bounds - skillful use of her technique, harmonious mélange of colors and thought-provoking, poetic titles. Nothing is left to chance. Her artistic mastery is confirmed in her career of over 30 years.


For questions or more information please email us info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.