statement

For the last 11 years I have focused on painting and drawing urban landscapes.  This current series of work focuses on the facades of strip malls and big box stores in suburban Chicago.  The settings are mundane spaces in my immediate surroundings that I find visually appealing due to their architecture, quality of light, sense of space, and arrangement of formal design elements that emphasize the abstract structure of the subject. Conceptually the works are also about the process of constructing a painting or drawing. The compositions have developed out of several interests; the first being a frontal direction.  Secondly, the use of horizontal lines, vertical lines, and geometric shapes positioned to compose and emphasize the flat surface of the picture plane.  Lastly, the use of a square format and precise cropping diminish the viewer's angle of vision and avoid the traditional notion of a landscape format.  Even with the use of the photographic sources, the compositions usually evolve through the use of preliminary sketches and tonal drawings.  Alignment, proportion, value, layering and mark making are focused on while drawing and aspects of the photo reference are altered, heightened, and edited during this drawing process. The use of the photograph has allowed me more freedom in my studio work.  I no longer need to have the development of the piece contingent on reoccurring visits to the location or be restricted due to weather, seasonal changes or time of day as I work in the controlled environment of the studio.  As a result, the works are deliberate constructions, adjusted as needed to create balance, unity, and a sense of place.

bio

born: 1976, La Crosse, Wisconsin

education

Indiana University, MFA, 2000
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, BFA, 1998

selected publications

New American Paintings, Midwest Edition No. 83, 2009
New American Paintings, Midwest Edition No. 65, 2006

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Edwardsville Art Center, Habeger vs. Lotz, Edwardsville, IL, 2012
Parkland Art Gallery, Hans Habeger and Robert McCann:  Strip Malls, Super Stores, and the American Landscape, Champaign, IL, 2011
Design Within Reach, Hans Habeger: Paintings and Drawings, Chicago, IL, 2010
Rice Gallery, Interpretations of Place: Hans Habeger and Katrina Hean, McDaniel College, Westminster, MD, 2006

selected group shows

George Billis Gallery, The Cityscape Show, Los Angeles, CA, 2011
George Billis Gallery, The Buildings of New York I, New York, NY, 2011
La Grange Art League Gallery, Facades, La Grange, IL, 2011
George Billis Gallery, New York Moments, New York, NY, 2010