Jim Hansel
Jim Hansel is a very talented artist who has
achieved success by overcoming special challenges to
create his beautiful paintings. At a young age,
Hansel demonstrated his artistic ability; throughout
his life, he never swayed from his dream of becoming
an artist. As long as the artist can recall, his
love of wildlife and the outdoors have inspired his
work so he may share his vision of nature’s wonders.
The world Hansel paints is not always the world he
sees. At the age of twelve, he was diagnosed with a
degenerative eye condition, which has left him
legally blind. Mastering his visual limitations, he
has learned to create beautifully-detailed images
with magnification and low-vision aids. Working
only one or two inches away from the canvas, Hansel
painstakingly paints in the details of a work, while
forming in his mind a clear picture of the finished
painting.
Hansel also relies on his camera to capture his
ideas and bring them into focus. He uses
photographs to bring the landscapes and the wildlife
models back to his studio. At this stage of
starting a painting, he enlarges the photographs, if
necessary, to see them more clearly. Amazingly, the
artist then gazes through his glasses and commences
his first brush strokes as his painting comes to
life a few square inches at a time. Hansel’s visual
challenges require him to spend more time on a
painting adding his details than many
artists….sometimes working four months on a single
canvas.
Hansel wants his artwork to be judged on its own
merit, not on the basis of an artist with a visual
impairment. This determination and being blessed
with a talent to create his outstanding images have
brought him national recognition. Since his first
print release in 1987, he has produced nearly 100
limited editions, and many have sold out. The
artist’s attention to detail and distinctive,
colorful landscapes are very popular with art
collectors nationwide.
Hansel credits his wife, Lois, his most ardent
supporter, with much of the success of his art.
Since their marriage, Lois has been involved in the
production of the artist’s prints to ensure the
highest possible quality. Their family also
includes two children, Joe and Laura.
Hansel has received national recognition and
numerous awards for his wonderful art. He has been
commissioned to create several paintings for Ducks
Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and the Minnesota Deer
Hunters Association. His limited edition prints are
successful fundraisers for various conservation
organizations. Hansel also has been honored with
many other awards throughout his career.
Jim Hansel’s art and his success are living
testimony to the rewards of hard work and
perseverance regardless of life’s challenges.
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