Photo from LDN archives

Simplistic Beauty Captured at the Strawn
Local artist Lee Hahn to be featured at the David Strawn Art Gallery in Jacksonville
Reception and talk featuring Hahn scheduled for February 7th

[January 23, 2015] The Art Association of Jacksonville’s February exhibit at The David Strawn Art Gallery will feature a wide variety of paintings by Lincoln artist Lee Hahn.

"Lee Hahn Art" is a longtime dream of Lincoln  artist Leland Hahn. The artist is a retired Software Quality Engineer and has been studying life drawing, along with etching, charcoal and pastel drawing. He is mostly “self-taught”, but has taken several classes over the years at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn IL. The artist has been drawing and painting for over 20 years.

Lee will attempt to paint almost any subject, but his real passion is the landscape of central Illinois. He feels that there is a minimalistic beauty in the simple landscapes of the area. It is that simplistic beauty that the artist captures in his paintings. While all his work would be considered realistic, there is an abstract quality between the land and sky that creates interest and keeps the viewer coming back. All of his paintings are originals.

Lee’s inspiration comes from only his personal photos of the area. He feels that the human eye captures a scene better than any camera, so it is what the eye and mind together “sees” that he attempts to capture in his work.

Lee uses layer upon layer of acrylic paint, starting with the darkest color in the scene. Generally he works from the darkest to the lightest and builds up layer upon layer of color. He firmly believes that when using this technique any mistake that may be made will only add additional depth to the scene as corrections are made.

Lee has several paintings to enjoy in local businesses, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, the Logan County Courthouse and private collections around Illinois. He is a regular attendee at the Bloomington Farmer’s Market and the Lincoln Art and Balloon Fest. He is also a member of Logan County Arts and participates in 3-5 shows a year which are produced by LCA.

The exhibit will open Saturday, February 7 with a reception from 6-8 p.m. The 2015 Beaux Arts Ball Co-Chairmen Audra Fanning Nelson and Elizabeth French Becker will be introduced at 6:30
p.m. followed immediately by “Gallery Talk” by the Mr. Hahn.

Gallery hours continued February 8-28, Sundays 1-3 p.m. and Tuesday – Saturday 4-6 p.m.

[Jacksonville Area CVB]