Hank was born and grew up in the Boston area. He worked for many years in the real estate business before settling in Montgomery, VT with his late wife, Lona. He has fallen in love with the rural beauty of Montgomery and its people. Hank has been painting since the late 1970's and has studied briefly at the Art Student League in Marblehead, MA. He is essentially self-taught, working in oil primarily on Masonite where he sketches from life or photographs. While most all artists use their hands to work the paintbrush, Hank uses his hands and fingers to manipulate the paint before he even picks up the brush. By now, Hank has amassed over 1,000 paintings at his home studio.
"At the Vermont Handcrafter Show last November, I sold eight wooden bowls that were larger than 6 inches and more expensive than $50. It would have been a rough show if that's all I had for sale, but I also sold 52 smaller and cheaper bowls along with my tree-ornaments, toaster tongs, and butter spreaders; so those smaller items clearly kept me in the game. I especially enjoy making the salt, spic, and tea-light bowls from small odds and ends of interesting wood around the shop, so I've become a sort-of small-bowls specialist this year. From my comfortable retired perspective, any shop time is good time. I'll talk about making small bowls at Sunday's reception."
"I began my art training at Northwestern Connecticut Community College and went on to earn a BFA Degree from the University of Massachusetts. Although I continued to draw and paint in various media throughout my life, much of my creative energies were concentrated on raising three children and teaching high school special education and history. Although I had tried watercolor painting before it is only recently that it exploded and consumed my artistic fervor. Because line has always excited and fascinated me, I combine black pen and ink lines with shapes and planes created with watercolor. Sometimes the colors follow the lines, sometimes they don't. This struggle between line and shape is at the center of my work."
"A friend and I were walking along the edge of Lake Champlain near St. Albans Shrine on Isle La Motte when we came on what I can only call a root outcropping that caught my immediate attention. I worked hard to fit it all in my full-frame shot with my Nikon and still show some detail. I could see all sorts of animals rising out of the mess of roots-- crocodiles, monkeys, birds. I guess I am essentially an animal photographer even when not taking pictures of animals!"
"After many years of working with a realistic approach in traditional oils, pastels, and watercolor, I decided to simplify my painting and tell the story with minimum details, letting the painting take whatever direction it leads me. I work with water-based oils on stretched canvas. Although I paint all different subjects, the strength and character of trees is an inspiration for me, allowing me freedom to express myself with color and texture of paint. After years of plein d'air painting, I now work primarily in my studio. Since my husband worked for IBM, we moved many times allowing me to take workshops and classes in the various places we lived, most notable being the Wooster Art Center in Danbury, CT. The most important method of my learning was to paint, paint, paint! Green Mountain Fine Arts Gallery in Stowe represents my work."
