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"1 enjoyed being an architect, but there
were other things I wanted to do."
Watching collegues wait until they were
60 or 65 before they started doing what they
wanted seemed "odd," he says. So he decided,
at age 35, to do what he wanted . . .then.
Since the career change, his work sche
dule has become a bit unorthodox. Hanna
says his architectural work only takes about
80 percent of his time. The remaining 20
percent, Hanna says with a laugh, is spent
trying to find something to do.
Much of this time is devoted to conduct
ing watercolor workshops around the Mid
west. The workshops are sponsored by area
art clubs, Hanna says.
And he is enthusiastic about them, about
the travel involved and about helping people
improve their skills and develop an appreci
ation for the buildings and landscapes around
them.
Hanna also participates in area art festi
vals. He says he likes to demonstrate his
painting techniques as people look on. Peo
ple are fascinated, he says, as if a mir.icle is
taking place as the picture develops, and "all
with no numbers on the paper."
The art festivals are also a good place to
earn extra income, Hanna says.
People are anxious to buy the work,
whether good or bad, because they realize
each painting is one of a kind.
Hanna says the techniques and tools he
uses are what gives his watercolors their dis
tinctive style.
"The objective of watercolors is to make
as many mistakes as possible, and then try to
save it. It's best to just let the watercolor do
what it wants to do, then you just tell eve
rybody that that's exactly how you planned
it."
The brushes he prefers are handmade and
soft, which leads to better results, he says.
Hanna refers jokingly to the brushes.
"I always buy two of them; one of them 1
just use to stroke myself and make me feel
good, and 1 use the other one for painting.
You gotta get in the mood."
Hanna says he doesn't regret bypassing
formal art training during his college years.
Had he gone to art school rather than major
ing in architecture, Hanna says, he would
have been a drop-out. The mood of art dur
ing the early 1960s was very abstract, he
says, and he would have been "burned out"
on art by now.
Instead, Hanna says, he is still learning.
He participates in many workshops as a stu-
The objective
of watercolors
is to make as
many mistakes
as possible and
then try to save
it. It's best to
just let the water
color do what
it wants to do,
then you just
tell everybody
that that's exact
ly how you plan
ned it."
sssssssssssssssssssssssssss
sssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Photos by
Dan
Dulaney
dent, he says, keeping his artwork and tech
niques fresh.
A 1 963 graduate of UNL, Hanna creditsa
four-year architecture scholarship with help
ing him earn a degree. The Leo A. Daly
Scholarship paid $500 a year, which Hanna
says, got him "over the hump."
He supplemented this scholarship by
working part-time for architecture firms.
"Because I could draw,i always had a job.
But it was a big problem because I never
really got to spend as much time with school
because I was always working. School was a
part-time job, which was a real mistake."
To save money, Hanna slept in his car for
a semester. He parked the car outside the
coliseum and would shower in the gym each
morning.
That arrangement seemed to be working
fine, Hanna says, until the police discovered
.him.
"An old cop pulled up and said, 'You wait
here, and I'll be back.' Well, I could have
driven away, but I waited until he came
back. He gave me a blanket and said, 'Now
I'll look out for you.'"
The following semester, Hanna stayed
with friends at dorms and fraternities.
Once college was behind him, Hanna set a
goal to have his own architectural firm by
the time he was 27 years old. After finishing
the required four years of apprenticeship,
which enabled him to become a registered
architect, Hanna formed a partnership with
Deon Bahr in 1967.
The firm's first big project was designing a
local liquor store. The building won the
attention of a local beer distributor, and the
firm ended up with a series of jobs for
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
"For awhile there, the liquor business was
keeping us in business," Hanna says.
Following these projects, Hanna's firm
redesigned the downtown Lincoln Hovland
Swanson department store.
Just two years after beginning private
practice, Hanna and Bahr were awarded an
American Institute of Architecture Award
for the design of a Lincoln home. For a firm
that young, Hanna says, the national award
was a big push.
From there, the firm grew rapidly, and by
the time he left to begin his own practice, it
employed about 30 people.
Still, Hanna has no regrets. He says he
enjoys the less competitive world of artists.
He found that artists are much more suppor
tive of each other.
Architects, he says, are too busy looking
out for themselves to sit back and enjoy life.
"The artists are out there grubbing
together. It's amazing how much they help
you."
Hanna smiles as he contemplates his
lifestyle.
"I guess it's just serendipity. I'm just glad
that I've been lucky enough to get to do the
things I have."
Page 5The Sower
