Susan McGovney Hansen (1933-2011)

An award-winning painter known for her renderings of Polynesian figures, Susan McGovney Hansen (1933 - 2011) came to Hawaii from Southern California in 1973. By then, she was well-trained, having studied painting at the University of California at Los Angeles and illustration at the Art Center of College of Design in Los Angeles. However, it was not until 1973 that Hansen began to devote her life to painting from Keolamau Studio in Lanikai (Oahu). In her loving portrayals of Hawaiians and scenes of Hawaii, she tapped a wide variety media, from oils to watercolors, acrylics, pastels, charcoal, and gouache. Her colors were vivid, her perspectives unique. Hansen is perhaps best known for her watercolors of Polynesian women, which captured their beauty, dignity, and grace. These images can be found on posters and notecards.

Hansen’s commissioned artworks can be found throughout Hawaii, from several major hotels to the Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts, Honolulu City Hall, central branch of the Bank of Hawaii (Honolulu), Oahu Country Club, and Pacific Club (Honolulu). She also taught watercolor and figure painting at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and was a member of the Hawaii Watercolor Society, Windward Artists’ Guild, Artists’ Group, and Hawaii Artists’ League.

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