BY KEELIN EVERLY-LANG for WEEKLY VOLCANO 5/8/26 |
Hahnah Rae Gibson’s art and home are an expression of the organized chaos of loving the details of life, the stories and the magic that make up this world.
She has several children, dogs, cats, a snake, and two stick bugs, and every corner of her house is filled with eclectic knickknacks and art, arranged beautifully so each wall becomes its own art piece.
Her pen-and-ink watercolor illustrations under the name Fabled Green are equally packed with meticulous details that make each one look like a portal to another world, whether they show a unique angle on a familiar Tacoma landmark or an imagined fairytale library or cozy gardening shed.
One of her favorite pieces is featured on today’s cover and depicts the Harold G. Moss Bridge, originally the East 34th Street Bridge, as seen from the highway below after taking exit 133 headed northbound. The historic bridge was built in 1936 and can be seen arching high above the road. The bridge was named after the first Black mayor in Tacoma in 2019, adding to its historic significance to the city.
Growing up, Gibson lived on the Eastside of Tacoma and said that seeing that bridge would mean she was almost home.
“I always thought that it was magic…that I lived in magic land, because that bridge was magic, clearly,” Gibson said. “Even if I had fallen asleep in the car, my parents would wake me up so I could see it.”
Nature and the beauty of the urban landscape are consistent inspirational elements in her art, and so too are other aspects of her life, like her children, the D&D campaigns she plays weekly with friends, and more.
Gibson has always been a creative person and was one of the first classes to attend Tacoma’s arts high school, SOTA.
Going there helped her explore her creative side and introduced her to photography, which she said she loved for years until she tried the digital version, when that art lost its spark for her when she lost access to a darkroom.
She’s explored a wide variety of artistic mediums but has found her personal style, though her art today is still influenced by that photographic perspective.
“It’s a totally different medium, but my eye was affected,” Gibson said, meaning the composition and framing of her art. Many of her pieces focused on local landmarks start with photographs for reference.
Gibson first started selling her art and focusing on building her portfolio during the height of the pandemic.
In addition to wanting to bring in some additional income to their household, Gibson said she found she missed the casual conversations and small relationships that had been a part of her life before the shutdown.
“I’m enough of an introvert that I am okay being home most of the time, but I’m enough of an extrovert that I need to have some banter…so I had realized pretty early into COVID how important that was in my life,” she said.
A growing body of research backs up the importance of these small interactions, especially those with strangers or with casual acquaintances we see consistently as we move through the world.
Creating these “micro-relationships” can lead to more happiness and a sense of belonging and connectedness to those around you, as well as a reduction in feelings of loneliness.
For those who are interested in selling their art, her advice is to start, even if you only have a few pieces.
Gibson’s inventory and displays have grown and shifted over the years, but one constant has been integrating her love of thrifting and found treasures into it.
She sells preframed art in vintage and thrifted frames that add a little extra something to the prints and also highly recommends looking for display items at thrift stores and says she still uses thrifted dish racks and file drawers on her table today.
With any type of self-expression, whether that is through art, fashion, or other outlets, Gibson’s advice is: “Don’t compare yourself to other people’s talent and skill, even if you’re in the same medium. Your style is different than their style, and it’s going to attract different people… Everybody is an individual. Every customer is going to be looking for different things.”
Along with losing those little moments, Gibson shared she was also struggling to find ways to focus on herself as a whole person, because being home all the time gave her no natural breaks from her identity as a mom.
While she loves this role and has been caring for children since she started consistently working as a babysitter at age 12, she said she was increasingly identifying the importance of focusing on things that are just for her.
“It’s taken a long time, and I’m not perfect at it…sometimes struggle with it on a daily basis, but I have been intentionally working towards getting to be a whole person and it hasn’t taken a single thing away from who I am as a mom. Being a whole person makes me a better mom… because I’m a happier person,” Gibson said.
Vending was a great way to meet that social need of connecting to people in a casual, low-pressure way. Over time, she’s begun to bring in more income through art sales than she did when she bartended. And it’s given her incentive to set aside time to make art and dedicate time to focus on celebrating and exploring her own identity.
One thing Gibson loves about art is that it is a buildable skill, something that you are guaranteed to get better at if you practice. Gibson’s story shows the same can be said of self-love and confident self-expression and that all of these practices are even better when shared.
Follow her on Instagram at @FabledGreen or visit her website: FabledGreen.com.
