Michael Haun is a man of many hobbies. He plays multiple instruments — so many, in fact, that he could be a one-man bluegrass band: banjo, guitar, and fiddle. He dabbles in digital media. And, he practices blacksmithing. It’s this last hobby that led to his most recent creative endeavor. Haun’s wife, Carol, had grown tired of her husband smelling of metal. So, one day she bought him a watercolor set. The hobby stuck, joining the legions of other endeavors that fill Haun’s days.
Part of how Haun juggles so many pursuits is his belief in the power of 20 minutes when it comes to learning and practicing new skills. “You paint 20 minutes a day for six months, and your art world will change,” says Haun. In other words, consistency is enough. It’s a novel message in an era where complete dedication to any ethos or endeavor is the dominant mentality. And, when learning something new, Haun maintains that persistence is just as important: “You just have to start,” he says. “And you have to fail.”
A Style of His Own
Michael Haun has developed a style characterized by a loose and gestural watercolor wash over ink outlines. Minimal backgrounds keep the focus on his often whimsical subjects, who Haun only paints when he finds some kind of connection to them — as a storyteller, an observer, or simply as a human being. “Art painted out of service, will never hold the eye like art painted out of love,” he says. That’s why Haun is discerning when it comes to his subjects. Twenty minutes of daily practice might give someone the ability to watercolor. But creating art, imbuing a piece with meaning, giving something a soul requires a little more.
For example, while sitting at Rooster’s one day, Haun sketched a small fishing fly. It was part of a personal tradition of leaving tiny original drawings with restaurant staff as a gesture of appreciation for their hard work. Encouraged by his wife, Haun gave the sketch, captioned “You are called to fish,” to Rooster’s owner and chef Jim Noble.
The next day, Noble tracked down Michael Haun with a request to paint a specific fly. Haun initially declined, uncertain about his ability to paint a fly that meant so little to him. Only once Noble explained that the fly was tied by a dear friend who had passed away was Haun able to connect to his subject and represent it through his artform. Their conversation forged a connection, and the commissioned painting became a tribute to friendship, both Noble’s with his late friend and a new one forming between artist and chef.
The Making of an Artist
“Artists are simply touching, echoing, and retelling the colors and connections of creation,” says Haun. From perceiving a subject, to connecting with the subject, to physically translating a perception of the subject into another medium, linking oneself to the external world is at the heart of Haun’s process.
