photo by Anne Cummings

Born in Oregon, raised in Idaho, and educated in Utah and California, David Habben has enjoyed the adventure of living and learning in new environments. Traveling as far away as Melbourne, Australia as a missionary and spending time working with companies on both American coasts has given him a chance to see and appreciate some of the wonderful people and cultures of the world. He uses traditional and digital media, creating illustrations for a wide variety of uses. His projects include editiorial and children’s magazine illustration, children’s book, apparel graphics, storyboards, advertisements, branding/identity, and interactive design.

Artist Statement

In my personal work I make a conscious effort to leave some of the hurdles of the illustration world behind and work with as few revisions and sketches as possible. This pushes me technically to get it “right” the first time, but it also opens up doors for my emotions and thoughts to present themselves openly. Characters and concepts that are normally left aside to make way for client requirements are given a chance to breath. For artists who haven’t stepped into the commercial realm, this effort might be something they take for granted. Since I try to find a balance between the two worlds, this process has taught me to not only value my imagination, creativity, and feelings more, but also to refine my abilities to communicate those to my audience.

Artist Images

“Sower”, 6x9in, ink

“Evangeline”, 16x22in, digital

“O Jerusalem”, 9x12in, ink

“Adolescence”, 5×8.5in, ink/digital

“Gluttony”, 6x8in, ink/digital

15 Bytes Article

Faith and Subjectivity in Art
A discussion with David Habben
by Anne Cummings-Anderson

David Habben: newlywed, artist, guitar player, runner, motorcycle rider, Mormon.

David Habben doesn’t do things half way—as he reflects on his life thus far, a genuine contemplative nature emerges. He’s a unique sort of artist. His artistic designs and illustrations can be found on skateboards, graffiti walls and comic books but he also uses art as a vehicle to express his religious beliefs. This month you can see his work at both the LDS International Art Competition and Salt Lake’s Kayo Gallery, two exhibition spaces whose paths rarely cross.

Habben calls Utah home now but grew up in Oregon and Idaho. He attended Boise State for a couple of years and finished up at BYU, which is how he arrived in Utah. He graduated with a degree in Illustration and shortly after graduation took a job with Struck – a local advertising agency in SLC — before launching Habben Ink four years ago. Working as an independent illustrator is often a solitary existence but one in which Habben has excelled. When asked about going back to college, Habben talks about how he has been ready to do so, acceptance letter in hand, on a number of occasions, “but something always came up, life has simply directed me along different paths.” Habben is preparing to move to Logan with his wife Anna later this month, having recently accepted a position as a designer with Icon Fitness–mostly know for their gym equipment, apparel and footwear. The position offers Habben, an avid runner, the best of both worlds, merging his love of design and illustration with his passion for fitness.

Read the full article in the May 2012 edition of 15 Bytes.

Utah Artists Directory

Artist listings in our Utah Artists Directories are open to all visual artists who reside part-time or full-time in the state of Utah. The listings will remain on our site as long as the artist resides in the state. There is no annual fee for the artist listings. A one-time setup fee is required to create an artist listing. To learn how to create your listing click here.