INSTRUCTORS

LAURIE HANSEN

Laurie was born and raised in Seattle, WA, the youngest of five children. She has four children and four grandchildren. When her last child left for college, she went back to school full time at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, earning her BFA in Studio Arts. She is proud to be the first person in her family to earn a college degree.

After graduation, Laurie founded the Community School of Arts at Gallery One, a contemporary art gallery in Ellensburg. Over the next seven years, she grew the school from just a few students a week to more than one hundred students weekly. Her students were K–12 and explored a variety of disciplines including ceramics, drawing, painting, collage, and more. She also helped lead community art projects, exhibits, summer art camps, and art programs in the public schools. It was truly her dream job.

In 2014 Laurie moved across the country to Pensacola to be near one of her daughters. It didn’t take long to find her “tribe of artists.” Over the years Laurie has developed her practice in gelli printing and collage. Her college classes in design and painting have played a strong role in helping her create eclectic and expressive gelli printing art. She is inspired by nature—its colors, shapes, and ethereal spirit. Her collages are rich in color with subtle hints of flowers, trees, mountains, leaves, and the repeating patterns found in the natural world.