Hi I'm Richard. Welcome to my art website.
Art is a passionate life pursuit
for me. I paint primarily for personal enjoyment and don’t really try to be technically perfect, trying out new ideas is more what I'm into. Producing endless variations of the same thing is not what I paint for. I want my paintings to be interesting to look at and have a certain sense of "Wow" to them.... I like them to be somewhat trippy. I think that's how art should be and that's the kind of art that I like.There are a wide variety of influences that make my art what it is. I think my earliest love of art came from looking at the psychedelic posters and album covers of the 60’s and later I came to appreciate the old Dutch painters for their depictions of everyday subject matter. I think my paintings fall somewhere in-between. My favorite artist and greatest influencer of my art is Peter Brueghel, a Flemish renaissance painter.
I am self-taught. I have no desire to copy or paint like any other artist. I feel that being an artist is more of an attitude than a technical skill. My intention has always been to make art my own way from my own heart and mind. It doesn't really matter to me whether it's the way other people think it should be done or not. The only thing that really seems to matter is whether people like it or not.
The majority of my scenes are taken from places in and around the Renton area because this is home to me....but some are right out of my head.....or somewhere else.
I can be reached at:
vincentvanjahn@aol.com
253-347-6586
I have a variety of print options for every piece so please contact me to get the full rundown of what's available. Many of the originals are also still available.
I appreciate comments and feedback, even from non-buyers so please at least say hi.
Thanks;
Richard-
Here's a newspaper article about me.
By CELESTE
GRACEY
Renton Reporter Staff Writer
Jan 21 2010, 9:55 AM
When Richard Jahn isn't painting, he's fighting fires.
"He's a very devoted family man," said Ryan Runge of Arts Unlimited. "On top of that he's a regular contributor to our shows."
With nostalgic paintings of Renton Hill and Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, the firefighter is emerging as one of Renton's most well-known local artists.
He will also be the first to show at the new Go Deli in downtown Renton Jan. 30. 2010
Gathering inspiration from the everyday subject matter of early Dutch artists, he paints his own environment.
"Most of it is pretty urban," he said. "I want my art to be relevant."
His art isn't all scenery. In one set of abstract paintings, shapes twist with patterned lines and burn with bright colors.
"He's an evolving traditional artist that is developing new techniques," Runge said.
Jahn likes to play rock 'n roll at his art shows, music that inspires his work, he said. "I really don't like quiet art galleries."
His love of art sets him apart from his fellow firefighters at
Station 17.
"It's not a popular past time of my workmates," he said, adding that they're more likely to build decks, drive tractors and hunt.
Though his success spares him from some teasing, he keeps the two lives separate, enjoying each.
"I get to work on big fire trucks," he said of his job. "Once in a while you get to save peoples' lives."
Firefighters usually work 24 hours, with 48 hours off between shifts. While many take second jobs, Jahn takes care of his 25-year-old son with Down Syndrome.
His studio is a stack of plastic drawers next to the kitchen table, he said. "I have an old yucky table cloth my wife absolutely hates."
He first began painting as a student at Kentridge High School, he said. "I've always loved art, my whole life."
When his three children were young, he drew them picture books to encourage their reading. Jahn realized then that he wanted to do more serious art, he said.
Although he took a few college art courses, they proved unfruitful, he said. "I didn't like the way they viewed art."
In 1986 he sold his first work from a Renton River Days booth and has been there every year since.
"I was pleasantly surprised. People received my art well," he said.
He shows his work on a consistent basis, he said.
Runge attributes Jahn's success to how often he shows his art and the subject matter, Renton and nearby cities.
"If you took a stroll through Renton Hill, you'd see a lot of my art," Jahn said.
Renton Reporter Staff Writer Celeste Gracey can be reached at cgracey@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5052.