Batiks by Hahn.com

Thanks to a childhood that found her living in Asia, the Middle East, Argentina and Pakistan, Lila was no stranger to the muted colors and abstract shapes of traditional Indonesian Batik. It was precisely because she saw a way to bring something new to the art that Lila's first Batik was a brightly colored tree. While her art instructor at the University of Northern Colorado expected Lila to follow the rules, Lila jumped at the opportunity to create her own style. When she witnessed the vibrant finery of the traditional dancers of the Taos Pueblos, she had the perfect subject matter for her brightly colored Batik celebrations.

Lila Hahn

To the casual observer, Lila's life seems almost conventional. Along with her husband, Rod, she raises three children on a farm outside Yuma Colorado. "The family is an important part of my world," says Lila, "but it wouldn't be enough without my art." When Lila retreats from her modern home to the original farmhouse that she uses as her studio, her mind taps into the unconscious well of creativity that allows her to create award winning work. She has twice been a finalist in The Artist Magazine's Art Competition, been accepted into the prestigious Arts For The Parks, been awarded a Top 10 Award for Artistic Excellence in the Colorado Indian Market, was chosen as the 1995 Poster Artist for the Denver PBS Fundraising Auction, and chosen as an Emeritus Artist in 1996 -2008 for Denver PBS Art Auction. She has been invited to the prestigious Coors Western Art Show during the National Western Stock Show-Denver Co and The Stampede Western Invitational Art Exhibit and Sale at the Greeley Stampede-Greeley Co.

Lila has received glowing profiles in Southwest Art, Yippy Yi Yea Western Lifestyles , Art of the West, Mountain Living and Wild Life Art magazines , with featured articles in Yippy Yi Yea Western Lifestyles, Southwest Art and Wild Life Art. Lila's Batiks have appeared on the cover of the following magazines Yippy Yi Yea Western Lifestyles, Country Treasures, Indian Gaming, Where to go and What to do in Metro Denver, The Multi Cultural Calendar of Art Events and on the book cover " Some Personal Papers" by Joallen Breadham. Some of Lila's Batiks are featured in the book "Batik for Artist And Quitters" by Piper.

Gallery owners have been quick to appreciate Lila's eye for design and creative point of view. Her work is proudly represented by the following galleries: LaFuente Gallery-Sedona AT., Mountain Arts Gallery, Ruidoso NM ,Art Gallery 66 -Bernalillo NM and Prairie Edge Gallery-Rapid City SO.

Lila begins her pieces by sketching her design onto paper, followed by tracing that sketch on silk. She then begins the painstaking 'resist wax' process of placing melted wax on the areas of a design that should not take dye. Beginning with the lightest color, Lila applies a dye, then lets it dry. She then waxes the areas that have just been dyed to preserve their color and proceeds to apply the next darkest dye. By repeating this process up to twenty times on a single Batik, Lila represents a full palette of colors.

Lila strays from tradition by using a paint brush to apply some dyes to very specific areas. I n this way she combines both tradition and control. "It's taken me 20 years of experimenting to get the intensity I like.," said Lila, "and every piece is a new experiment." Lila creates the distinctive 'crinkle' of Batik by wadding the waxed silk into a ball. This risks ruining pieces but Lila "likes the suspense of not knowing for sure what will happen. "After applying a final dye that fills the cracks, Lila irons the silk between newsprint to remove all the wax. The finished piece expresses Lila's stated intent to "express and respect Native American traditions and the beauty of mother nature."

Batiks by Hahn
8132 Co. Rd. 36
Yuma, CO 80759

phone/fax (970)848-3446

email hahn@plains.net