Artwork copyright Gaylen Hansen. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

Artwork copyright Gaylen Hansen. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

Landscape with Dog Heads, 1987

Gaylen Hansen
(American, born 1921)

Location: Washington State University - Spokane, Spokane

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Landscape with Dog Heads is a whimsical painting by artist Gaylen Hansen which playfully explores the balance between nature and man. Inspired by rural Eastern Washington and his own personal mythology, this piece is part of Hansen's body of work that depicts the "Kernal", along with other recurring characters.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Gaylen Hansen creates expressive figurative paintings and drawings. Many of his works depict a character called the "Kernal" who travels through surreal landscapes that reference the Palouse region of Washington where Hansen lives and works.
Born in Garland, Utah, Hansen received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1953 and taught art at Washington State University in Pullman, Eastern Washington. He was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 1989/90.