Chemical Exposure by Ian Hanks

 

 

I grew up on the coast of Maine, both of my parents were professional artists and under their guidance, I learned to draw and paint at an early age. My paternal grandfather, Fletcher Hanks, Sr. was an accomplished cartoonist back in the “Golden Age” of cartoons. Several compilations of his work have been published by Fantagraphics Books. My father, Ted, was an author, watercolorist, and nationally recognized woodcarver whose body of work includes life-sized ducks and geese displayed in private and public collections across the United States. My mother, Consuelo, was an accomplished artist in both pencil and watercolor mediums with a body of work that gained her a national reputation and following.

     I studied criminology at the University of Southern Maine and pursued a career in private security and investigations. I did everything, from working an access gate at an industrial complex, catching shoplifters at a retail chain, and conducting sensitive high-level corporate investigations.

     I have been drawing and painting since I could hold a pencil and paintbrush, thanks to my parents’ inspiration and encouragement. About twenty years ago, I first tried my hand at cartooning, drawing funny sketches to make people laugh which I find particularly fulfilling. A short time later, I took a break from art to focus on my career and raising our daughter, who we adopted from Guatemala. Since my parent’s passing in late 2015, I have taken over their art business, now called Maine Treasures Art Prints, representing my mother’s pencil and watercolor prints and launching my own full-time art career. Along with my latest foray into cartooning, I also paint maritime scenes in watercolor. My paintings are displayed at Gallery’s in Maine and my works have been included in several exhibits, including the International Maritime Art Show at the Mystic Maritime Museum and Gallery in Mystic Connecticut, and the Maritime Art Exhibit at the Coos Art Museum in Coos, Oregon.