MEET WESTON
Weston Hansen is a self taught professional airbrush artist from Salt Lake City, Utah. Weston comes from very humble beginnings. He was born and raised in Sandy City, a suburb of Salt Lake. His parents, now retired, made their living as a diesel mechanic and a hair stylist. Growing up, Weston’s parents embodied the virtues of hard work and persistence. These ideals are what have driven Weston to accomplish one of his biggest dreams, selling his artwork professionally.
Weston’s father Tim was an accomplished oil painter for a time in his life. Weston used to spend countless hours listening to amazing music and watching his father paint in the basement of their home. As is the case with most little boys, they simply worship their fathers and want to be just like them. As such, it was no coincidence that Weston also found himself artistically gifted and creating art at a very young age.
While Weston was always gifted at art he did not take it overly serious for a significant portion of his life. He would create now and again, but was never truly inspired. In the early 2000’s motorcycle culture really gripped the United States with shows like Orange County Choppers, Biker Build Off, and Monster Garage. Weston, now in his twenties, was completely enamored with the motorcycles, but more so with the artists and artwork that was going into these bikes.
An airbrush, in the hands of the right artist, could create effects in artworks that Weston simply couldn’t believe were possible. The incredible talent on display by so many artists created a curiosity in Weston. The inspiration that he had long lacked was suddenly found. Armed with this new curiosity, and a very small bank account, he bought his first airbrush from a local craft store using a fifty percent off coupon and a couple tubes of paint. The rest, as they say, is history.
Along the way it has taken a lot of trial and error, a lot of self investment, and some help from other incredible artists to achieve the level of skill required to put the kind of craftsmanship and detail Weston puts into his artworks. Most of his pieces take between 25 and 200 hours to complete. While creating artwork can be a long and sometimes frustrating process, Weston will be the first to tell you that nothing quite compares to that moment when you can see that what you have created truly resonates with a person.
While art is a significant part of his life, it is not his whole life. Weston also enjoys being a husband, a father to two beautiful girls, an air traffic controller, an avid fly fisherman, a traveler, a fitness enthusiast, and a good friend to those in his life.
Weston’s father Tim was an accomplished oil painter for a time in his life. Weston used to spend countless hours listening to amazing music and watching his father paint in the basement of their home. As is the case with most little boys, they simply worship their fathers and want to be just like them. As such, it was no coincidence that Weston also found himself artistically gifted and creating art at a very young age.
While Weston was always gifted at art he did not take it overly serious for a significant portion of his life. He would create now and again, but was never truly inspired. In the early 2000’s motorcycle culture really gripped the United States with shows like Orange County Choppers, Biker Build Off, and Monster Garage. Weston, now in his twenties, was completely enamored with the motorcycles, but more so with the artists and artwork that was going into these bikes.
An airbrush, in the hands of the right artist, could create effects in artworks that Weston simply couldn’t believe were possible. The incredible talent on display by so many artists created a curiosity in Weston. The inspiration that he had long lacked was suddenly found. Armed with this new curiosity, and a very small bank account, he bought his first airbrush from a local craft store using a fifty percent off coupon and a couple tubes of paint. The rest, as they say, is history.
Along the way it has taken a lot of trial and error, a lot of self investment, and some help from other incredible artists to achieve the level of skill required to put the kind of craftsmanship and detail Weston puts into his artworks. Most of his pieces take between 25 and 200 hours to complete. While creating artwork can be a long and sometimes frustrating process, Weston will be the first to tell you that nothing quite compares to that moment when you can see that what you have created truly resonates with a person.
While art is a significant part of his life, it is not his whole life. Weston also enjoys being a husband, a father to two beautiful girls, an air traffic controller, an avid fly fisherman, a traveler, a fitness enthusiast, and a good friend to those in his life.