Hana Esop

I was born in the Czech Republic in 1946.  I grew up in Trutnov, a small town in the mountains.  This place offered many beautiful subjects for my drawing.  Although drawing and painting had been my lifelong hobby, I never studied art formally.

I have lived in Fairbanks since 1999 and only now do I have enough time and opportunity for painting seriously.  I have met many friends in the Fairbanks Watercolor Society and I am grateful for their encouragement and their help.

In 2002, I began to study fine art at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, including painting, printmaking and native art.  I have also learned from art books, magazines and other artists.  I currently work at New Horizons Gallery, which given me a wonderful opportunity to see and appreciate what other artists are doing.  This helps me to expand my horizons and extend my limits.  I can always find some new endeavor, and I enjoy this process.

Five years ago, I met Ellen Harney, a local plein-air painter.  She became my painting partner and friend.  Together we discover the beauty of nature by painting outdoors throughout all the seasons of the year.

Alaska, my new home, is a land of extremes: sometimes there is too much light, and sometimes not enough.  Compared to my years in Europe, Alaska astonishes me with an overwhelming sense of huge space, unlimited sky, and intense colors.  Clouds float in a seemingly endless sky.  In winter, the land seems to be in a prepetual state of sunrise or sunset.  Autumn offers golden delights, when the rich blue of the sky contrasts with a collage of yellows, oranges, crimsons and greens.

My goal is to capture all of this in my painting.