Jess graduated from the Art Instruction School in Minneapolis, MN, in April 2011. Since then, she has won a considerable number of awards for her wildlife art in pastel, oil paints, and ink, including second place for two years running in the professional division at the Utah State Fair, the Juror’s Award at the 2011 Utah Hogle Zoo World of the Wild Art Show in Salt Lake City, first place for two consecutive years in the amateur division of the Utah State Fair, and has exhibited at the Monte L. Bean Museum annual art show at BYU. In addition, she won second place in the 2010 Art instruction School Art Competition.
Jess completed undergraduate classes at Utah Valley University and the University of Utah. Her work was published in 2010 in the Illustrator Magazine. She continues to broaden her artistic talents in several different mediums. Jess is an avid horse trainer, animal lover, and naturalist. She adopted and trained a wild mustang she calls Angel. She loves to combine her love of animals and art into unique expression of their individual personalities.
Jess does pet portraits, private art lessons for those in the local area of Eagle Mountain, UT, and her art can be commissioned by contacting her directly through her official webpage, Imagine My Universe.com. Be sure to check out her card series. The kittens are adorable! She also has many other paintings on display in her portfolio. I, personally, love her paintings of birds. So beautiful!
Find Jess Hansen on Facebook and LIKE her page to support her and keep up to date with new art she releases.
Enjoy some samples of Jess’s art below as she tells about each painting in her own words
 |
| “Bubbly Smile”, oil 20″x 16″ Bubbly Smile is an oil painting of a dolphin. The dolphin’s expression just makes you smile because of it’s carefree atmosphere. I find dolphins to be very fun and exuberant animals. This painting was meant to capture that. |
 |
| “Hanging Out”, pastel 8″ x “10 Hanging Out is a pastel picture done of a green tree frog. The picture helps bring a smile to one’s face. They may be small but the green tree frog is just as important as any other animal. |
 |
| The Spirit of the West, pastel 16″x 20″ The Spirit of the West portrays the wild mustangs that are found around America. I personally love mustangs since I have a mare named Angel, which I got from the BLM and have trained myself. Wild mustangs are amazingly hardy horses. Running wild in the open gives a sense of freedom! |
 |
| “Stately Grace”, pastel 11″ x 14″ Stately Grace is a pastel done of a Lynx. The Lynx is often viewed as plainly coloured compared to the bobcat, but they can be just as beautiful. I did this picture to capture and show the beauty of this very elusive cat. |
 |
| “Fleeting Beauty”, pastel 8″ x 5 5/8″ Fleeting Beauty is a picture done of a yellow swallowtail butterfly. It halts for a moment before taking flight again. This picture captures the small butterfly for all its beauty, proven even small creatures can be noticed. |
 |
| The Beauty of Music, ink 9″ x 12″ The Beauty of Music is an ink painting. Done in permanent india ink, the painting is meant to capture music in an image. The rose gives a natural touch as well as emphasizing the beauty of the piano. India ink is a challenging medium, but I enjoy the vibrancy of the colours. |