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This month our Coffee Hound Featured Artist is none other than our own Haven Ryburn. The daughter of two artists, Haven’s art education began very early and informally continues today as she cultivates her craft and her whimsical style, working with acrylic paints, watercolors, and ink.

Among her favorite artists are Tim Burton, Brian Froud, KwangHo Shin, Dave Mckean, Agnes Cecile, and Gustav Klimt. Yet, her biggest inspiration is Stephen Gammel, whose work she remembers first coming across as a child. “I read the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books when I was in elementary school,” Haven explains. “Stephen Gammell’s paintings for the books were so unlike anything I had ever seen. They were scarier than the stories; it was the first time art evoked an emotion for me. I was probably eight or so and thought ‘Woah! I want to do that!’ I went from wanting to make ‘pretty pictures’ to wanting to make people feel something.”

This desire to make people feel something through art is one that still guides Haven’s work today. Elaborating on this goal, she says she wishes “to spark an emotion, feeling, or a memory, something that creates a connection between the viewer and the work. That could be totally different for everyone. I won’t say what I hope [people] take away. I just hope it’s something.”

Currently, in addition to being featured at Coffee Hound’s location in Uptown Normal, Haven’s work can also be found on display at Behind the Glass Studio and Merlot and a Masterpiece, both in Downtown Bloomington.

To learn more about Haven and her work you can visit her website by clicking here.