Meet Ruby Hahn | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruby Hahn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruby, why did you pursue a creative career?
For as long as I can remember, I was always creating. As a young girl I would spend day in and day out drawing or doodling, making paintings for my family, working on murals inside closet doors or hidden spaces, etc. As I grew up, the dedication to my artistic processes evolved and developed with me. I chose some form of Visual Art for every elective throughout Middle School and High School. I remember my first ever “Senior Capstone” show where I displayed all of the paintings I had worked on in a semester on one gallery wall. There is something so satisfying about curating your own show; to this day it is one of my favorite things about this career. The positive feedback that I received and the confidence I gained from this first small show inspired and ensured me that I was on the right path. Other people, strangers even, appreciated and noticed what I was doing. That was a cool feeling. Around this time, all of my classmates were trying to figure out their passions: What did they want to go to school for? What did they want to pursue? I can vividly remember knowing that I could not see myself doing anything besides art. My passion for creating was so intense that I never once imagined my life going in any other direction.
I then attended college at MSU-Billings where I earned my degree in Art with the option to teach k-12. I learned so much in the Art Department at this school and enjoyed every second. A pivotal moment was in 2015 where some of my favorite professors took us abroad to Italy. We spent time in Rome, Florence, Venice, and several little towns in between. Seeing and experiencing art in such a significant place truly changed my life. I learned and understood that art is its own language, and it knows no limits.
I came back after that trip fired up about my life. I dove deep. I spent hours and hours, sleepless nights, researching artists- their lives, their processes, intentions, inspirations. I experimented, I pushed myself to try new things, to immerse myself into my creativity. I developed a process that fueled that fire; it stuck around, to this day.
I feel like my most authentic self when I am immersed in this process. That is the amazing thing about having your passion take control of your life. I graduated college in 2017 and have been creating full time ever since.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is a study between microscopic and macroscopic, the minutia versus the immensity of a whole. I have always found the significance of details fascinating. What if the whole is something other than the sum of its parts? what if it has a completely independent existence? I like to play with perception by changing perspective. In my case, this is done by proximity to the piece. The viewer is forced to become a lens and build a personal viewing experience where one moves physically from seeing the whole painting to a more intimate proximity, almost touching the canvas at the microscopic level. It is at this closeness they become aware of the distinction and affinity of details embedded in the whole image. As the viewer steps back to gain their first perspective, they have not only adjusted physically, but have returned to a more general analysis of the piece. Their understanding of the imagery recomposes with the larger viewpoint. This fluctuation of perspective represents my interest in microscopic explorations that lead to isolating and evaluating tiny particles of a greater whole.

I am very inspired by ariel views, microscopic images, wood grain, water, fire, ice, leaves, sand, etc.
I like to make people think. I like to enable viewers to feel something when they really examine one of my pieces. Many people see things in my paintings. For example, one person will see a dragon, while the other will see a silhouette of a woman. I leave the perception up to the viewer; I do not title my pieces. Over the years, have built off of this general inspiration and incorporated color theory and personal artistic touch to make each piece my own. I use acrylic paint and other mixed media.

I have worked really hard to get to where I am today professionally. I try to paint every day, I make connections every day, I really put myself out there. I branch out, try new techniques. Last summer I was asked to paint a mural. Did I have any idea how to plan to paint a 22-foot mural on a textured wall? not at all! I am so thankful I said yes to that opportunity, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I have done.

You just have to trust yourself. Trust the process. Despite all of the challenges, trials and errors, I always look inward and trust the little artist inside of me. She knows what to do

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Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I would start by taking them around downtown Billings. There are so many cool coffee shops, breweries, and restaurants to check out. I really like Bar MT’s patio and Jakes Downtown. I would take them around to see some of the public art and murals that have become an awesome addition to the overall energy down there. The mural that I painted last summer is on 29th street in between 2nd and 3rd! I also have a Powerbox wrapped in my art on the corner of Montana and N Broadway. We would for sure hit the local art museums and studios: the Yellowstone Art Museum, Kirks Grocery, Toucan, etc. I love to support my friends that are either running/owning their own local business or working at one. It’s so awesome to see many of them flourishing in this community.
There are a few fun hikes around town and a few miles out. I would take them to Pictograph Cave State Park, Four Dances Recreation Area, Riverfront Park, and up to Red Lodge for a day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a shoutout to my friends and family for supporting and encouraging me to follow my passion. There is a handful of people who have attended every event I have been involved in; this group means the world to me. Thank you to anyone that has ever attended one of my shows. Shoutout to the awesome community of local businesses, shops and organizations here in Billings that have been so great to work with over the years. Thanks to my college professors for encouraging me and pushing me to think critically and conceptually. And a very special thanks to my grandpa who always helped me build anything I could possibly dream up, assisted me with tools and concepts I could not have managed on my own, and most importantly; teaching me to never give up.

Website: rubyhahnart.squarespace.com

Instagram: @Ruby_Hahn_Art

Facebook: Ruby Hahn Art