A Life of Color and Paper Born in Leith, Scotland, Hans Jacob Hansen lived a life defined by the fluid boundaries of his medium. As a painter of Danish descent, he found his footing in Edinburgh, studying under R. B. Nisbet and J. Ross. His approach to the canvas was far from traditional. He favored a technique where colors were allowed to run together upon wet paper, a method that required both a steady hand and an acceptance of chance. Details emerged only as the paper dried, leaving behind scenes that felt as much like captured moments as they did deliberate compositions. His interests led…