Belle Hahn
Twin Hearts
July - September 2024
Belle Hahn
“I came from a beautiful father who was an art dealer. As much as I loved art as a child, I was unable to fully step into my artistic power because I was intimidated by all of his incredible artists. I didn’t feel like I was good enough to paint. I am realizing that I am not an art dealer necessarily, but an art healer in connecting people and healing myself by expressing my own truth through art.”
Belle Hahn grew up heavily influenced by art, nature, and fashion. The art history on her family walls and the fashion landscape of Paris and beyond gave host to a means of endless self-expression, and the natural world - from Central Park in New York City and the gardens at Lotusland in Montecito, to the clay of Georgia and the horses of North Carolina - has been a long-standing source of education, salvation, and healing for Hahn. Through these elements, Belle Hahn has beautifully awakened into a warrior guide, a philanthropic muse, and a creator of art and community.
Hahn and her sister, Lillian Hahn Shining, learned flower names and studied classical music and art as daily practices. They moved from New York City to Montecito when she was seven after her mother had a dream that they needed to move to Africa. Lotusland Garden became her neighbor, and Nature became her healer, as did Madame Ganna Walska, Lotusland creator and Hahn's personal muse. She later moved to Augusta, Georgia, where her mother grew up, for a study in southern roots, her Mimi instructing: ``Those girls need roots in clay, not shale: bring them home to the South.”
The fusion of art and nature has always been an inspiration for Hahn. After an early childhood trauma, Hahn's mother reached to art therapy for Hahn as one of many essential healing modalities, and instilled a deep love and understanding of the natural world.
With her father’s esteemed reputation in the art world as a collector and dealer, Hahn was hesitant to dive too deeply into painting until college, where she studied with Ursula Schneider, and fell in love with painting animals, nature, and fashion. Recently in a Pranic healing class with Chantal Everand in Santa Barbara, Hahn was led to a meditation called “Twin Hearts.” Inspired by visions seen through the mind’s eye, Hahn paints images of the Earth and the one collective heart. By merging the Twin Hearts, being the crown and heart chakra, and her understanding of Soul and Soil connection, where the “I” in Soil and the “U” in Soul are the U and I…the we… her paintings illuminate the remembrance of the oneness of Earth and Humanity.
As a Garden Ambassador at Lotusland, Hahn has shared her love for nature, art, and fashion through the incredible partnerships she has co-created with Lotusland Celebrates, the summer gala that takes place when the lotus blossoms dance above the mud. These collaborations include Valentino, Etro, Verdura, Belperron, C magazine and others, and each year bring to light the vision of founder Madame Ganna Walska of regeneration, enlightenment, and purpose.
Belle Hahn
"In all of my paintings, I just show up to the canvas with an open heart and let Spirit guide the brush. I trust the process, which is very healing for my little girl that wanted things “perfect” all the time. Much of my work is about letting go and clearly letting God. My father was an amazing Art Dealer. He was genius at his craft and taught my sister and I how to really “look” at a painting and discover its signature. For me, being instead of doing has also been a personal healer…so I like to be seen as an Art Healer, an artist just showing up to let go and allow myself be seen and to see in a new way…from a lens of being, seeing from the heart’s eye."
Photo Credit: Emmanuelle Pickett
contributing artists
TWIN HEARTS illustrates the power of the muse, extending Belle Hahn's artistic legacy through original artwork by:
Stewart Shining. Stewart Shining is a New York City-based photographer of contemporary actors, musicians, and models. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Mademoiselle, Interview, Vogue, Allure, GQ and Seventeen. His first book was released In 2021, Alessandra by Stewart Shining, featuring never before seen images of Brazilian model, Alessandra Ambrosio. Shining serves on the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, is the president of ACRIA, and has volunteered to take photographs on behalf of the Heart Gallery of New Jersey to help children find adoptive parents.
Michael Haber. Michael Haber established his photography career with national campaigns ranging from Old Navy, Gap, Target, Tommy Bahama, Gloria Vanderbilt, Power Bar, Wet Seal, Lee Jeans, Warner Bros., MCA Records, Colgate, Honda, Neiman Marcus, and Levi’s, and he has been chosen amongst the world’s leading photographers to create new image campaigns for Diet Coke, Old Navy, Lands End, Lee Jeans and Tommy Bahama. In addition to Haber’s commercial campaigns, his personal work is represented in local galleries and seen all over the world.
Pedro De La Cruz. Pedro De La Cruz is a self-taught artist born in Tijuana, Mexico, and has emerged as a prolific and established artist in the city of Santa Barbara. Pedro de la Cruz’s artistic influences have been both local and traditional, and he is inspired by music, architecture, and the diversity of his community. The Santa Barbara based artist believes in positivity and light, and he intends to bring joy through the colors of his art.
David Downton. Over the last dacade, David Downton has established a reputation as one of the world's leading fashion artists, and his classically elegant and contemporary images have been a key factor in the revival of fashion illustration. His commercial client list includes Chanel, Dior, Tiffany & Co., Topshop, Joyce Hong Kong, Harrods, Estée Lauder, and the V&A Museum. His portraits of iconic women include Cate Blanchett, Dita Von Teese, Catherine Deneuve, Iman, Linda Evangelista, Rachel Weisz, Paloma Picasso, and more. In 2011 he was appointed the first ever fashion artist in residence at Claridge's hotel in London, commissioned to draw the hotel's most illustrious guests from the world of style and fashion.
Emmanuelle Pickett. Emmanuelle Pickett received her BA in film studies from Yale University. In 2011, her work was chosen from over 80,000 submissions to be featured in Oscar-winning directors, Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking feature-length documentary, LIFE IN A DAY. Pickett's films and analog photography have been featured in Vogue, Rollingstone, MTV, Vice, Pitchfork, Nowness and more. In addition to her recent Lionsgate Picture feature directorial debut ALL SOULS, starring Canne film festival darling, Mikey Madison (Anora, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood) and acclaimed American rapper G-EAZY, Pickett is currently designing fine art and furniture objects inspired by industrial design and found objects from the Old American West.
Lucia Kiel. Lucia Kiel is an award winning and internationally accredited portrait photographer based in Santa Barbara CA. She specializes in magazine style portraits that empower women, to help women and girls see themselves with love and step into their power and unique beauty.
Kim Reierson. Kim Reierson is a California native who moved back to Santa Barbara from New York City where she worked as a fashion photographer, and is represented by the Robin Rice Gallery for her fine art work to date. She is best known for her photography book Eighteen: A Look At The Culture That Moves Us, which is a visual documentation and an homage to America’s 18 wheeler truck drivers and featured on ABC News, CNN, and National Geographic Magazine. She has exhibited nationally and internationally with clients that include Forbes FYI, Bloomingdale's, Ralph Lauren, and Vogue Mexico.
Willa Kveta. Willa Kveta, founder of Willa Kveta Photography and Nalaya Healing, is a Ceremonialist and Sacred Photographer, and has been recognized by multiple awards and publications. Through her Photography, Willa captures light frequency and subtle energy by revealing what is below the surface, mirroring her work as a Sacred Guide.
Lillian Hahn Shining. Lillian Hahn Shining is a multifaceted artist, accomplished equestrian, dedicated philanthropist, and devoted mother. Born in New York and raised between Montecito and North Carolina, she pursued her passion for the performing arts at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, where she honed her skills in music and dance. Hahn Shining later achieved remarkable success in the equestrian world, becoming a national champion on the Grand Prix circuit while based in Tryon, North Carolina. Upon returning to her roots in Montecito, she discovered photography, embracing the traditional 35mm single lens reflex camera and film to capture the essence of her community and travels. As the daughter of Thomasine Richards and the late Stephan Hahn, a renowned gallerist and collector, Lillian continues her family's legacy of philanthropy.
