Gaylen C. Hansen (born September 21, 1921) is an American artist best known for neo-expressionist figurative paintings that feature the flora and fauna of the Palouse, a geographically unusual area in Eastern Washington state where he lives and works, and “the Kernal,” Hansen's alter-ego frontiersman whose often-perilous adventures are depicted in many of the artist's canvases. Hansen's paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Beijing, and Singapore, and are held in numerous public and private collections.