Ellen Hahs: Do More Fun Things

Ellen Hahs will have 39 pieces of art on display at Catapult Sept. 1 - 25, 2026 at Catapult Creative House, 612 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO.

The public is invited to attend a special evening opening reception 5-7 p.m. on September 4 at Catapult. Thirty-nine of Hahs' works will be displayed and include portraits, plain air, paint nights and themed works. Weekday hours of Catapult are 8am-4:30.

Hahs' works include many plein air paintings, portraits, and some still lifes. Ellen enjoys telling interesting details about each piece. Her artworks are scenes of moments enjoyed. Something may have caught her eye, like the shadow colors, an illuminated object, reflected light, dappled light, or water reflections.

"I work with proportions, thinking how objects compare to each other, like using cross hairs on a target. I also use fractions mentally and my brush is a multi-use tool for not only applying paint, but also for determining angles, using the wrong end for the smallest highlight or signing a piece discretely. The rest of the process comes from knowing composition, value changes, color temperatures and intensity levels, and what to leave out," she states. "Just get the right shape, in the right color, in the right place," she laughs.

Ellen Hahs is Curator of Education at Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum at Southeast Missouri State University and Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Anthropology, History & Political Science.

She earned her BS in Education with an emphasis in Art and completed her coursework for Master of Public Administration at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO.

She hosts monthly paint nights and weekly art lessons at Crisp Museum, participates weekly at Malone Park Center for the Arts in Sikeston Missouri, is a member of the Ste. Genevieve Art Guild, Participates in the Strada Art Challenge, is a member of River Heritage Quilters' Guild, participates in Nature Needlers at Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, participates in plein air painting events in Missouri and South Carolina, has been an art judge for Art is Ageless in Farmington, MO and coordinates multiple independent teaching artist workshops each year.

This exhibition is Sponsored by Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. Questions: (573) 334-9233.