Studio Time | Don Hartmann
Don Hartmann Studio visit with Dena Hartmann, Tara Sellios and Marc Blackmer
Stepping into an artist’s studio is as transformative as it is inspirational, especially if you are an artist yourself. For people of the different pursuasions, a step inside is like walking into the mind of the artist. Like seeing Caroll’s internal images of the rabbit hole, the ephemera and visual stimulation that surrounds you takes you on a wild ride.
In the past I have used Polaroids as a point of reference for a template. I have now switched to making collages out of my own photos (be it digital/film.) The work I now create is larger scale wise and thematically. I like to enlarge the scale for more visual impact and to further investigate process to the end result (i.e. paint, impasto, and textural qualities vs. the overall rendering or correctness of the subject.) My style is accidental. I had no intentions of being a painter…just a lucky experiment. I use everything I can get my hand on. I have come to know the things you are not supposed to do…mixing combinations, application, etc., but it has been a part of the process; lessons from failure. Texture and image are the biggies. It is about how the paint is applied but also has to be an image; a situation captured. As always, the juxtaposition of narrative. I sometimes paint a real situation and sometimes an invented situation. Looking for purity in an alley. I look at photography constantly. I kind of stink as the grandiose artist. I’m dumpster diving…bits here and there. Fame, excess, longing, hope, fear…, the human experience that could stop any second or go on for 20 years. You know, I people watch, basically.
“An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.”
Don Hartmann is a figurative artist with a very colorful life and carries a vintage suitcase full of color crayons. He is always surrounded by ruckous laughter and artful conversations. Sometimes that talk is of poetry or music, like Lou Reed straight up or, The Velvet Underground, Sex Pistols and a little Replacements. Other times, it could be about his obsession with The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. Few people have the candor or the gentle soul of this man. He says what is on his mind without a thought of restraint or fear of retort. The romanticism of the Bohemian artist became somewhat of a "thing" in the mid 19th century. Many artists share the vibe of free spirit, indulgence with license to be extraordinary, even today. Jovial and true to the core, Don Hartmann takes it to another level. He can create a vibe without saying anything, just by being in the room, just like Lou Reed. Sharing his day-to-day experiences is something he does on a regular basis on his Facebook page. His matter-of-fact outrageous stories of old ladies curling up in the back of his work van to recharging his rosary beads on church statues have become comic relief for his friends, who have come to anticipate the next one. Crazy things find Don Hartmann every day, or does he attract them? Running into Don always produces take-aways that become legend. A post like, "Can men develop breasts from eating too many Italian ices? Asking for a friend...." might just change your day.
Don Hartmann was featured in V.1 of Juniper Rag. You can order the digital copy here to read the rest of his story.
