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| 48 Plates |
Travelling the Unites States with his family and visiting its vast array of beautiful sights compelled the artist Scott Hanson to capture those fond memories in a meaningful way. As Scott and his family journeyed from state to state they loved how they would often see licence plates either pinned up or artfully displayed in some way or another along fences or upon the sides of barns as they traveled the roadways. This lead to a hobby of collecting licence plates from each state they traveled to. As any collector likes to do, Scott displayed each unaltered plate on a wall within their home approximating their position within a rudimentary representation of the United States. This went on until they had collected a plate from each state.
Seeing all the plates presented together upon the wall led Scott to come up with the idea of cutting each of the plates into the shapes of the states they represented. He furthered learned stained glass window techniques so that he could apply a beautiful silver border around each state binding them together while showing off their individuality. After experimenting with a variety of canvases he finally settled on cold pressed steel which served as a beautiful and elegant contrast to the soldering used throughout the piece. Once he presented his gift to the family the first "48 Plates" became a beloved and permanent fixture in the home. As time went on and more of Scott's friends and colleagues would drop by the house and hint that he should share this with the world.
Hence forth from a labor of love was born the first ever representation of the United States in the form of licence plates and after being sold across the globe and represented in multiple museum collections for nearly two decades the 48 Plates still remains the only one made entirely of metal. Since then the artist has produced other popular incarnations including the 50 plates, California the Golden State and even other countries such as the Canada Plates. What has made the 48 Plates so successful is that it represents what Scott initially set out to do and that was to capture fond memories with his family so when he makes one for someone he tries to capture the meaningful aspects of each plate such as an iconic image or a memorable tagline from each state so in essence he achieves telling a narrative. He also likes to have a nice mixture of vintage and newer plates to give the composition history and a fun anecdote the artist likes to share is that collectively with each one made the owner will have a piece that has had on average of five million miles driven on it.
For questions or more information please email us at info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us 415-332-1815.
With industrial grade steels of all sorts ranging from Cor-Ten steel used on bridge construction to polished stainless steel Damon Hyldreth is both an engineer and poet with his masterful creations. Damon has the ability in his art to capture the quintessential moment where energy in a state of rest begins to manifest into a kinetic force. When observing his steel works that can be seen publicly throughout the world, one can not help but see a transformation or metamorphosis, an inspiration to become something more. Read more of Damon's own words from our website Hanson Gallery Fine Art.
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| Knot #44R |
My work stands as a reminder of the connection between man and nature, even as the world around us becomes increasingly removed from this essential and most basic union. While the metals I use are clearly man-made, the result of my collaboration with them is a blurring of the divide between nature and structure, space and form. This results in a strong symbiosis between the formal elements of my sculpture and it’s surroundings, both architectural and natural.
My work in sculpture is highly linked to the process of transformation. I consider the potential energy of my materials and lure out of them the sensual and organic forces of nature. I blend emotion with form, allowing the work to evolve, probing shapes, investigating their capacity to change. I seek to reveal the nature of the material, allowing it to take on a life of it's own.
I create art that challenges people’s expectations. My sculpture embodies the tension between stasis and impending movement; despite its weight and volume, or perhaps because of it, metal can dance and even suggest song. Ideally a viewer engages with my work on a subliminal level enabling them to have an experience of a uniquely personal nature. I work with Cor-ten steel, stainless steel, bronze, and carbon steel. These diverse metals, with their varied looks, suggest forms individualistically.
For questions or more information please email us info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.
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| 48 Plates |
Our best selling piece at Hanson Gallery is 48 Plates by Scott Hanson made by hand with real licence plates and soldered together using the same engineering skills found in stain glass windows and mounted inside a beautiful cold pressed steel canvas. Scott Hanson is the originator of this concept and has owned the copyright for 15 years. Hanson Gallery Fine Art is the only place in the world you can get this unique piece of art. Below is an artist's bio about Scott Hanson where we learn about what motivates him as an artist. More of his pieces can be seen on our website: www.hansongalleryfienart.com.
The art of Scott Hanson uses icons to reflect our concepts to us and induce us to reexamine our values and the way we perceive things. He challenges our ideas about influence and power, what is permanent and what is fleeting, our sense of time.
There is a concept or conversation based around the work," the sculptor explains. "Each work may be beautiful on its own, but each also speaks to the different issues and conversations that go on in our society and our culture," Hanson says. "My work primarily comes from the point of view of the archaeologist, looking back at this period of time a hundred or thousand years form now, and seeing what stands out as unique or important to this culture, which might not be important six or sixty years from now, and which might not be at all important in a different value system."
Hanson has had a provocative life in the art world over the past 20 years, as artist, gallery owner, fine arts dealer and renewed artist. He is open, savvy, expressive. His exposure to the diversity and trends of art, to its popular and eclectic expression, and to the motivation of both the creation and the buying of art, is comparable to no one. He has always been a creator, a thinker on our symbology and a deliberate provider of perspective on our modern lives.
Hanson sculpts mostly in copper, stainless steel, aluminum, and a few other metals. "I have worked with some icons to mirror our concepts of timeliness. For example, "I've done a cast of a 1940's bomber jacket. It is one of the few items that has really transcended both fashion and trends, in that people are wearing these jackets today in the same way they have for the last five decades. It's a symbol of freedom, of the rebel in us, or a certain kind of social stigma, a certain attitude."
Another piece is a series of piles of currencies-one is of hundreds of thousands of dollars stacked up. "It's a commentary on art as money and money as art. Which is what happened in the '80s, when there was a prolific production of art to create dollars, not the creation of art that also produced money," Hanson observes. "The piece also speaks to the idea of currency as a lost commodity. I question if we'll use currency in the future."
"There is a tremendous amount of social and politically correct commentary occurring through art these days." Hanson's own artworks have primarily shown here in the United States, however he is currently preparing for exhibitions in Taiwan and Mexico City.
"I don't know if my work is politically correct. The work is concept based, which stimulates deeper ideas and thoughts. This is my particular aesthetic interest. Right now," he smiled. "Reinventing myself periodically has charged my life. I'm excited by the chance to go in new directions. It has empowered my art. Being creative from the conception, production and sale of the work lets me experience the full gamut of the art world. It's very satisfying."
For questions or more information please email us info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.
