Haystack Gallery celebrates its 30th anniversary in Cannon Beach this weekend, coinciding with the appearance of renowned watercolor artist Steve Hanks, who is introducing his second book, “Moving On: The Art of Steve Hanks.” The cover of the book features a painting he did in Cannon Beach when he visited in 2006.

Each painting in his book tells part of a personal story about the artist as he expresses his own emotional unfolding and life experiences through his art.

Hanks says he often paints what he refers to as “moments of introspective solitude.” He works in the field of photorealism, which is considered a highly difficult genre to paint in watercolor. He brings his subjects to life with skillful control of washes, edges and layers, and his vast knowledge of water and pigment.

While writers are encouraged to “write what they know,” Hanks paints what he lives, according to a press release from Michael Tieman of Haystack Gallery. Hanks’ first book featured a collection of work that showcased his personal view of his children when they were small and conveyed with joy and wonder the intimacy between infants, toddlers and parents.

The paintings in Hanks’ second book represent the most extensive collection of the artist’s work in more than 10 years. Having gone through a divorce in the ’90s, Hanks says that he wants the entire body of his work to tell the story of his life’s process emotionally. In “Moving On,” the paintings describe his healing process as he evolves to another stage of his life. Some titles of his new works are “A New Beginning,” “From a Higher Level” and “To Touch a Heart.”

Tieman says that the gallery has proudly carried Hanks’ work for many years. The changing light and mood of Cannon Beach are captured in many of Hanks’ paintings.

After his appearances Saturday, Feb. 16, Hanks plans on working Sunday with a model on the beach – doing sketches and taking photographs for future work.

For more information, click on www.haystackgallery.com

‘From a Higher Level,’ watercolor by Steve Hanks. Copyright Steve Hanks. Copyright The Greenwich Workshop Inc.

‘With the Sun in Her Hair,’ watercolor by Steve Hanks. Copyright Steve Hanks. Copyright The Greenwich Workshop Inc.