Kathryn Hansen

Biography

Kathryn Hansen’s drawings are focused around her passion and devotion to animals and nature. In addition to her art training at the University of Stevens Point in Wisconsin, earning a BFA in Studio Arts, she went on to study illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and later on fine art at the Associates of Arts in Sherman Oaks, California while also studying painting under Margo Lennartz in La Crescenta, California. Her approach to capturing the character and essence of animals has garnered extensive coverage in magazine articles and books, and her drawings have also been featured in national ad campaigns for Dick Blick.

Affiliations
Society of Animal Artists, signature member
Colored Pencil Society of America, signature member
Colored Pencil Society of America District Chapter 214
Women Painters West

Curriculum Vitae
*2023 Mountain Oyster Cub’s 54th Annual Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale, Tucson Arizona
*2023 Colored Pencil Society of America 31st Annual International Exhibition Cincinnati Ohio, Received Best of Show and CIPPY Award
*2023 Strokes of Genius 15 Drawing Competition. Received Second Place.
*2023 Society of Animal Artists 63rd Annual Art and Animal Exhibition at the Stifel Fine Art Center Wheeling West Virginia
*2022 Artists Magazine 39th Annual Art Competition. First Place in the Wildlife/Animal category
*2022 David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s Wildlife Artist of the Year Exhibition, Shortlisted
*2022 Trekell Pet Portrait Competition, online show. Received Third Place in Drawing/Dry Medium Category
*2022 Artists Network First Annual Best of Show | Pets Art Competition. Received First Place in TOP CAT category.
*2022 Angeles Crest Art Guilds Juried Art Exhibition; California Colors. Received Honorary Mention
*2022 Colored Pencil Society of America District Chapter 214, Pencil Paintings Exhibition, Received Third Place
*2021 Mountain Oyster Cub’s 52nd Annual Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale, Tucson Arizona
*2021 Trekell Pet Portrait Competition, online show. Received Second Place in Professional Category
*2021 Colored Pencil Society of America 29th Annual International Exhibition
*2021 Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown New York, Art that Matters to the Planet, traveling to Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in New Jersey and The Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Hays Kansas
*2021 Society of Animal Artists New Members online show
*2020 Mountain Oyster Cub’s 51st Annual Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale, Tucson Arizona
*2020 Colored Pencil Society of America 28th Annual International Exhibition
*2020 21st Annual Color Magazine Member Show. Received an Honorable Mention award

Education
1983*BFA, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
1986*Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee Wisconsin
1999*Associates in Art, Sherman Oaks, California
2000*Studied under Margo Lennartz, La Crescenta, California

Publications
CP Treasures, Volume VIII 2022, Volume VI 2019, Volume V 2018, Volume IV 2017
Colored Pencil Magazine, Featured Artist March 2022 issue
Great Horned Owl Tutorial and Art Journal, Carrie Lewis Publications January 2022
CP Magic Magazine, Featured Artist August 2021 issue
In-Depth tutorial lion, Ann Kullberg Publications December 2020
Color Magazine, Featured Artist July 2020 issue
In-Depth tutorial elephants, Ann Kullberg Publications January 2020
DRAW Wildlife book, Ann Kullberg Publications
North Light Books, Strokes of Genius 9: Creative Discoveries! 2016
Bark Magazine, May 2013 edition

Podcasts
Drawing Inspiration podcast with Mike Hendley, episode 97
Sharpened Artist podcast with John Middick, episode 305
Homegrown podcast with Raphael Anthony and Jamario McClain, episode SO2E07

Selected Collections
*University of Madison, Wisconsin
*Sentry Insurance, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
*McDonald’s Corporate Headquarters

Statement
Growing up with a dog, cat, rabbit, rat, hamsters, hermit crabs and multiple aquariums full of goldfish in the 60’s in rural Wisconsin made me a lifelong animal and nature lover. The special bond I feel with animals, both domestic and wild, is very apparent in my artwork. This bond connects me to nature in a way that other relationships just don’t and what drives me to create.

I am committed to conveying realism, capturing the essence and honoring the spirit of each animal I draw. With a world of textures, colors and shapes around me to explore, I’ve discovered my own way of seeing animals in their environment, trying to capture their beauty and shinning a light on my love for them.

Colored pencils are my medium of choice in creating my drawings. They are a wonderfully dynamic medium, versatile, great for precision and are adept at creating detail. Colored pencils are semi-opaque, and have a translucent quality which gives my artwork a really striking luminance to it.
I hope my art inspires each viewer to realize their connection to all living things, and to have a positive impact on this planet so that together we can help preserve the exquisite complexity of our earth for many years to come.

With the sale of each original drawing a portion of the sale is donated to a favorite charity or rescue. Some of my favorites are the California Wildlife Center, Lions, Tigers and Bears, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary and The Ojai Raptor Center, to name just a few.