Spring is in the air — always a great time of year because the farmers markets, outdoor art markets and art-focused street fairs are back in full swing! It reminds me of last summer when I visited the quaint town of Healdsburg, California. It’s a magical town in the heart of Sonoma wine country. I’ll set the scene. Imagine an old-fashioned town square, literally a square with a little open green space in the middle. Then, within the two or three blocks surrounding the square, you’ll find quaint coffeeshops, bookstores, clothing and jewelry boutiques, art galleries, high-end restaurants and, of course, wine tasting rooms. It’s very peaceful and a nice place to just wander about.
That brings me to the particular Saturday when i visited. There was an art fair in the middle of the square. We all know the type — local artists set up their small booths and display their works and wares. Depending on your tastes, some of the art is meh, so-so, but every once in awhile you do a double-take if you see something that really strikes your fancy. That’s where Donny Hahn comes in. I saw an art booth from across the square, and as I got closer there was a voice in my head repeating the line from the 1980s Eddie Murphy movie Coming To America, “that boy good.” Sorry if you don’t get the reference, but that’s literally what goes on in my head. Just search YouTube for “Coming to America that boy good” and you’ll see the 7 second clip. But I digress. I get closer to the art booth and was really impressed. I started chatting with the artist Donny Hahn.
I learned a bit about his background. He’s from San Francisco where he was born and raised and still lives today. He graduated from San Francisco’s Academy of Art College. He’s a pleasant gentleman and enjoyable to talk to. He’d say things like, “keep your life simple and your mind complex. In other words, read, look, listen, absorb and most importantly, express!” His influences are artists like Claude Monet and Richard Diebenkorn. He’s the kind of guy you want to talk to for hours and pick his brain for some nuggets on life philosophy. His art is soft yet vivid. I think it was the softness that made it stand apart — like a landscape photo slightly out of focus, which makes you get lost in the scene the more you stare. His use of color is also great. In addition to California landscapes, he also has some remarkable abstract expressionist paintings. Long story short, he was incredibly kind and his work was memorable enough that I wanted to write about him and show off some of his work. In fact, I hope I can buy a piece of his work this year because, just like ridiculous 1980s movie quotes, his art imagery is still circling around in my head. I’ll paste of few of his works below. Now, get out and enjoy the Spring and Summer art fairs, because you never know what might inspire you or make you see things a little differently.
Cheers!
Josh Post
Oh, and check out Donny’s website here: http://www.donnyhahn.com/index.html
The Post Gallery 
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