October 19, 3-5 p.m. @ 28219NE 63rd Ave, Battleground, Washington.
James Hansen is a legend in the world of sculpture, with his work on display at museums all around the west coast of the US. Over 100 years old, he and his wife Jane have agreed to host our October PNWS meeting in their home in Battleground. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet James and see both his studio and his work.
The Hansen property is a sprawling 13 acres and James’ sculptures are to be seen all over the grounds. There is also a gallery building with a library covering most of Hansen’s work and the importance of this period in the history of sculpture. Most interesting is the large studio the Hansens built to house the foundry and melting kilns that define James’s work.
Unless you are a newcomer to the Northwest, it is unlikely you have not had the privilege of viewing a Hansen sculpture in your journeys of the area. His large abstract bronzes can be seen in the sculpture garden at the Portland Art Museum, Maryhill Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Washington State Capitol Campus in Olympia, Civic Center Salem Oregon, Clark College and other locations throughout the Pacific northwest.
James’ long and successful art career began taking shape in 1944 when he returned to Vancouver after serving in the military during WWII. He enrolled in the Portland Art Museum School (now PNCA) on the G.I. Bill and befriended and collaborated with many classmates who went on to have distinguished art careers. He built his own foundry (Burnt Bridge Studio) in north Vancouver and became a recognized master of lost wax bronze casting. At this point he was invited to New York to work with cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz but James turned him down, being rooted in the place he called home, the Pacific Northwest. James’ first major successes came in 1952 when his bronze “The Huntress” was purchased by the San Francisco Art Museum and “The Call” was acquired by the Seattle Art Museum.
One chapter of his amazing and storied life as an artist particularly captured my interest: In the late 1950’s James was instrumental in recording many prehistoric Native petroglyphs in the Columbia River Gorge. He and his wife of the time can be seen in this photo on the bank of Columbia in the snow, melting paraffin on an open fire to pour into the glyphs prior to the flooding of the area by the completion of the Dalles and John Day Dams.
Hansen’s “Shaman” series speaks to his respect and reverence for indigenous cultures. He viewed shamans as ritual specialists, predating current inquirers into the arts, sciences and religion. James is a poet, a philosopher and an art educator. He taught sculpture at Oregon State, UC Berkley and the University of Oregon. 
James was a tireless worker all of his active art life. It is a rare opportunity to be able to view his studio left exactly as it was years ago when an injury caused him to stop the physically demanding rigors of his process. Many of the ideas he has explored as maquettes are perched throughout the studio.
Note: This will not be a potluck meeting; we will gather nearby afterwards for pizza and conversation. Wi-Fi on the grounds is unreliable so there will be no live-streaming but we will video the event for the PNWS YouTube channel. Stay tuned!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.