These are amazing kind pictures! They are filled with love, and they as if live their own lives...

"I tried to be responsible and bring positive images to the world," Steve Hanks said about his work. "I hope that my work brings comfort, pleasure and understanding to people's lives."

Steve Hanks is one of the best watercolor artists. Details, color and realism of paintings by Steve Hanks are always touching, they make you stop in the bustle of everyday life and think about the main values of life. Children, family, relationships, women... this are the main themes of the artist's works.

Steve Hanks was born into a military family in San Diego in 1949. Steve grew up playing tennis and surfing along the beaches of southern California. "The ocean has made a strong and lasting impression on me. It was good for my soul to be in water surfing, swimming or just getting in touch with its mysterious power." Later, these childhood memories helped the artist to create a series of paintings "On the Shore".

After school, Steve Hanks studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in San Francisco, where he got excellent marks in the field of commercial art and drawing. He moved to the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he became a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Steve called his style "emotional realism". He often left the faces of his figures hidden or turned away, not only to leave the face to the viewer's imagination, but also to allow the whole figure to express emotions. Light is also a signature element of his style. "Sunlight has become one of my favorite subjects. I'm fascinated by the way it filters things, the way it fills the whole room with color. Often my paintings are really more about sunlight than anything else."

Steve Hanks has three children, the family was in many ways the source of his inspiration. So, one of these wonderful incarnations was the series "Mother and Child".

Steve Hanks received the National Society of Watercolors award and the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Western Art, his name is on the list of the 10 best American artists, compiled by U.S. Art.

Steve Hanks died in 2015 at the age of 66, but his magic watercolors seem to give happy emotions for a long time.

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