Artwork copyright Judith Hahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Judith Hahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Judith Hahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Judith Hahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Timberline Shadows, 1998

Judith Hahn
(American, born 1941, died 1999)

Location: Raymond Elementary, Raymond

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Timberline Shadows is a two-panel landscape painting by late artist Judith Hahn that uses bare canvas and bold contrasting colors to depict Stevens Pass at high noon. The artist described how limiting her color palette allowed her to create strong shadows and glaring brightness. She noted, "this is a mountain pass, hot-day and cold-night, unforgiving landscape that is solid rock garnished with sunlight and trees. Even at mid-day, the shadows are cool."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Raymond School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Painter and printmaker Judith Hahn (1941-1999) was interested in color and light, as seen in nature.
Hahn lived and worked in Woodinville, Western Washington. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1981 at age forty, her artistic process and style evolved to accommodate her physical limitations. Using a wheelchair limited her range of motion and the size of the artworks that she could create. As a result, she started created diptychs, or two-panel artworks, where she could combine two panels to make one larger artwork. She noted, "Because my disability severely limits my mobility, I work (in studio) from photographs we take in the field, although I often use only part of a photographic image, or combine several."
Hahn earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Michigan State University. During the 1990s, several of her artworks were donated to support the Multiple Sclerosis Society.