Brian George Hanson

Real & Imagined. Imaginary & real. I paint landscapes of places visited, Sussex Downs, Rural France, Greek Islands - anywhere I go and I also paint the imaginary world of Oputia (anag.) So, "Postcard From Oputia: xxxxx " has become the default title of my latest paintings. A postcard view is usually the composition that works, the most attractive features of the landscape, the generally approved presentation. The world viewed from postcard images is edited and idealised and unrealistic in the unrelenting positivity of its message. So it's a short step from these thoughts to the idea of sending postcards from Utopia itself.

And it's not just geography - this place has it's own culture, rituals and history - there's a lot to explore and to record. Using classic techniques and vocabularies of landscape painting helps me to render the imaginary real, using pattern, rhythm, tone and colour applied in a traditional way but serving to reveal a new fantastic reality. Oputia - even the spelling is different there.


I learnt most about painting from life classes tutored by Laurie Rabson - a very skilled artist and an inspirational teacher who had been at The RA Schools soon after the war and had been a tutor at Croydon College of A...

My art training was/is informal - years of life drawing classes and tuition and inspiration from the great teacher - Laurie Rabson, a very skilled artist and an inspirational teacher who had been at The RA Schools soon after the war and had been a tutor at Croydon College of Art. After Laurie retired from formal teaching I continued to study with him privately and to learn much from his approach and way of seeing. I now continually rehearse my drawing skills, particularly with The Chapel Artist Group - a loose association of artists who meet on a weekly basis to practice painting and drawing and who occasionally exhibit together in South East Open Studios.