According to artist Curt Hanson, his paintings are all about abstract, color, shape and mood.

“Since I was very young, I was always attracted to nature,” said Hanson, who is currently showing his creations for the first time on Sanibel. “My paintings are tonalist, and I’d say that they are inspired by nature. Impressionism and realism have affected my work, but mood is what they’re all about.”

Watson MacRae Gallery is currently showing the works of Hanson at their December exhibit, dubbed “Nature’s Beauty.” Hanson is represented by Denise Peter and Henry Eckert, who also represented Bob Rauschenberg and Jim Rosenquist in his Naples gallery. Unlike those artists, Hanson is a realistic painter whose luminescent paintings capture the beauty of the landscapes he loves.

Hanson’s oil paintings often employ dramatic lighting situations, as in the case of his landscapes shown here which appear to be set in early morning or late afternoon settings. But even in more subtle samples, be it in bright sunlight or fully overcast, his use of color draws the viewer’s eye and, moreover, emotion.

The Washington native, who now lives in Connecticut, traveled east to follow his passion for painting in his early twenties.

“I wanted to learn more about representational artwork, but there wasn’t anything available out west that could compare to what’s in Boston and New York,” said Hanson. “I wanted to see paintings that I had only seen before in art books.”

As he honed his skills as a painter, he developed a style that relied less on detail, pushing towards a more abstract appearance.

“I kind of like the mood or the feeling of a landscape rather than the actual landscape,” said Hanson, who noted that he prefers to work on a series of paintings rather than one piece at a time. “I usually don’t work on something more than two days in a row. I’ll put it aside and work on something else. I never think about ‘finishing’ a painting. To me, ‘finishing’ sounds like death. One day, I’ll just look at a painting and decide not to mess around with it any more.”

In addition, the “Nature’s Beauty” exhibit features Jill Brougher, whose show at the gallery last season was a near sellout. Her exquisite charcoals and delicate pastels have elevated the drawing of shells to high art.

This exhibition will run from through Monday, Jan. 4, 2010.

Watson MacRae Gallery is located at 2340 Periwinkle Way #B3 in The Village Shops on Sanibel. Gallery hours are Monday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional details, call 472-3386.