MAY 2017: Featured Artist |
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Painter, Author & Children's Book Illustrator:
Hanne Lore Koehler
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Hanne Lore Koehler was born in Aachen, Germany and grew up in Ontario, Canada where she resides today. She is the owner of Koehler Art Studio Gallery.
She paints with watercolor, acrylic and oil. Watercolor has become a favorite medium. Hanne says, “Watercolor has emerged as the natural medium for my artistic expression. It is unpredictable and spontaneous and totally suited to my instinctive and impulsive nature.” She creates portraits, landscapes, sports art and still life. Her paintings are vibrant and colorful reflecting an emotional involvement with her subjects. Hanne’s paintings have been sold to art enthusiasts in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Britain, Germany, Africa and Australia. Hanne’s work has also appeared on the covers of numerous magazines, including Discover Fort Collins, Holistic Health Networker, The Showcase, Pratiques des Art, Country Woman and others. She is also an author and illustrator of children’s books. She has worked on book cover designs and paints children's wall murals. |
Bubble Gang
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Welcome to Our World
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Fish Tales
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
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Hanne wants our readers to know: With every original painting purchase or portrait commission, she includes a free print of Come Out 'n Play Teddy (the watercolor shown to the left). Hanne says, "It is very popular as a baby shower gift or for baby nursery decor." |
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Come Out 'n Play, Teddy!
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Straight From My Heart
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Tracy
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Toboggan Terrors
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
In My Opinion
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Together Again
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Pretty in Pink
Watercolor © Hanne Lore Koehler |
Myrna Beth Haskell asked Hanne about how she developed her style.
I was amazed to see that you have no formal education in art. The quality of your work as a self-taught artist is truly inspiring. The attention to detail and use of color is just beautiful. Could you tell me something about how you developed your style/skill?
My style might be described as naturalistic because I paint from instinct. I paint for the love of it with the spontaneity, confidence and flexibility that comes with a trial and error learning method and many years experience. I learn from every painting that I create. I am not formally educated in art, but when it comes to my work, as in my life, I have always followed my heart.
For the most part, I am self-taught; although my father, who studied art in Cologne and Vienna, greatly influenced my style by exposing me to all sorts of art at a young age. My parents took me through many European museums and galleries so that I could see the amazing paintings by artists of the past. I know that, subconsciously, their realistic styles all influence every painting that I create. I am grateful that my dad gave me basic tools and allowed me to experiment. As such, painting has been part of my life since childhood. As a child, I loved a rainy day because I could spend the time in my room drawing and painting.
I was blessed with a keen sense of observation. Before I begin to paint a portrait or sports painting, for example, I complete a detailed drawing of the subject on my canvas. I do not use white paint. True to traditional watercolor techniques, the whites in my compositions are created by the white paper background; so, in order to leave the paper white in the right locations, a detailed drawing on the paper canvas is essential.
I begin by painting the detailed subject, concentrating on facial expression, lighting, muscle action and fluidity of movement. Then, I combine these elements so that the composition looks natural and not contrived. I balance my realistic subjects with impressionistic backgrounds. I also concentrate on developing contrast and balance in the painting - light and dark, warm and cool colors, rough and smooth texture, near and far spaces, high and low chroma, soft and hard edges, realistic focal point and impressionistic background, etc. These Yin and Yang elements create the tension in the painting - the impression of movement, the excitement, the drama.
I was amazed to see that you have no formal education in art. The quality of your work as a self-taught artist is truly inspiring. The attention to detail and use of color is just beautiful. Could you tell me something about how you developed your style/skill?
My style might be described as naturalistic because I paint from instinct. I paint for the love of it with the spontaneity, confidence and flexibility that comes with a trial and error learning method and many years experience. I learn from every painting that I create. I am not formally educated in art, but when it comes to my work, as in my life, I have always followed my heart.
For the most part, I am self-taught; although my father, who studied art in Cologne and Vienna, greatly influenced my style by exposing me to all sorts of art at a young age. My parents took me through many European museums and galleries so that I could see the amazing paintings by artists of the past. I know that, subconsciously, their realistic styles all influence every painting that I create. I am grateful that my dad gave me basic tools and allowed me to experiment. As such, painting has been part of my life since childhood. As a child, I loved a rainy day because I could spend the time in my room drawing and painting.
I was blessed with a keen sense of observation. Before I begin to paint a portrait or sports painting, for example, I complete a detailed drawing of the subject on my canvas. I do not use white paint. True to traditional watercolor techniques, the whites in my compositions are created by the white paper background; so, in order to leave the paper white in the right locations, a detailed drawing on the paper canvas is essential.
I begin by painting the detailed subject, concentrating on facial expression, lighting, muscle action and fluidity of movement. Then, I combine these elements so that the composition looks natural and not contrived. I balance my realistic subjects with impressionistic backgrounds. I also concentrate on developing contrast and balance in the painting - light and dark, warm and cool colors, rough and smooth texture, near and far spaces, high and low chroma, soft and hard edges, realistic focal point and impressionistic background, etc. These Yin and Yang elements create the tension in the painting - the impression of movement, the excitement, the drama.
