{"id":10395,"date":"2012-05-03T13:11:46","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T19:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=10395"},"modified":"2022-05-28T15:22:41","modified_gmt":"2022-05-28T21:22:41","slug":"david-habben-artist-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/david-habben-artist-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"David Habben: Artist Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

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David Habben: newlywed, artist, guitar player, runner, motorcycle rider, Mormon.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Habben doesn\u2019t do things half way\u2014as he reflects on his life thus far, a genuine contemplative nature emerges. He\u2019s 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\u2019s Kayo Gallery, two exhibition spaces whose paths rarely cross.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 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, \u201cbut something always came up, life has simply directed me along different paths.\u201d\u00a0Habben is preparing to move to Logan with his wife Anna later this month, having recently accepted a position as a designer with Icon Fitness\u2013mostly 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Since childhood, Habben has always loved to draw and grew up surrounded by books. His mother, a librarian, encouraged reading and artistic expression but it wasn\u2019t until high school that Habben recognized that illustration and drawing actually made him happy, and not until college that he realized that he really wanted to establish a career in illustration and design. Early on, Habben recognized the challenges facing a working artist, \u201cI wanted to draw and make art but I also wanted to put food on the table.\u201d Illustration provides a viable and enjoyable career for Habben, who makes a point to exhibit work in a gallery at least once a year to nurture the side of him that craves the experimental, fine art driven creative processes which offer balance between his personal work and professional world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Habben is a passionate artist who admits his innate desire to move beyond what has been comfortable within his art to challenge himself and grow artistically. Although he recognizes the value of cohesion within his art, he also seeks opportunities to diversify his portfolio. This approach has worked to his advantage, allowing for increased marketability and self exploration. His illustration of\u00a0Beloved<\/em>, a graphic novel written by Ben Phillipe and Victor Ochoa was presented at the New York Comic Convention in the fall of 2010,|1|<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0God Above<\/em>, a self-published work,|2|\u00a0<\/strong>was featured in Phillipe and Ochoa\u2019s new publication NOBODIES, from independent press Draw More Inc. Habben’s commercial work includes covers of local and national publications, including Salt Lake Magazine, Utah Business Magazine and BYU Magazine, concert posters|3|<\/strong>\u00a0and custom designs for Chimera Snowboards.|5|<\/strong><\/p>\n