Steve Hanks' paintings are much more than endearing images of women and children. Rather than conveying a specific message through his paintings, Hanks prefers to explore memories and emotions. "My paintings speak to the vulnerability that we all feel from time to time. They evoke nostalgia, transporting us back in time," Hanks says. "All art is an escape to somewhere you want to be or a feeling you want to have. People see different things in my paintings because we all have different backgrounds and feelings."

Hanks highly collected nudes convey an introspective solitude that prompts the viewer to think about his or her own life and path. "Women occupy a special niche in my sensitivity. They express more storytelling ability. There's more magic in them," he says.

Art jurors began recognizing the quality of his work in 1973. Steve Hanks won the Arts for the Parks Marine Art Award of Excellence in 1990 and 1994, and has been one of the Arts for the Parks top 100 artists since 1989. In 1991, Steve Hanks received the National Watercolor Society Merit Award and the National Academy of Western Art awarded him the Gold Medal in 1992. Since 1993, he has been one of U.S. Art Magazine's top ten American artists. When the Pacific Rim show in Seattle, WA decided to open the show up to a wider variety of art in 1999, they selected Steve as Artist of the Year. Steve was one of five winners selected to the U.S. Art Hall of Fame 2000. The 7th Annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children chose Steve as their Feature Artist in 2002