James Hartman

Superbloom, Abstract Oil Painting

2023

Artist Comments
Artist James Hartman demonstrates a mesmerizing abstract landscape of a Californian mountain range. He starts the piece by building up texture using gesso and bits of coconut coir, the fiber from the fruit's outer husk. The rough textured surface creates a perfect depiction of the super bloom of natural colors that happens after spring rain. "It felt good to push the edge of the envelope and try something quasi-experimental," shares James.

About the Artist
When James Hartman was in art school, he became fascinated with the Society of Six, a group of artists who painted en plein air (outdoors) and exhibited together in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 20th Century. James's paintings of the Northern California landscape pay tribute to some of the great Bay Area artists of the past. His expressive scenes feel alive through his vibrant use of color and his painterly brushwork. James’s paintings have an immediate visual impact from a distance, yet up close, dissolve into a series of confident marks and strokes. There is a simultaneous complexity and steadiness in his flattened, color-blocked planes. Knowledge and observation are essential elements of James’s working practice. To this end, he spends a large proportion of his time painting on location. His body of work captures the fresh and sunlit essence of the coastal California hills.

Words that describe this painting: texture, flowers, super bloom, mountains, California, Bonnard, Gauguin, colorful, landscape, mountains, mixed media, abstract, abstract, landscape, oil painting, yellow

Superbloom
James Hartman
Oil painting on stretched canvas
Finished black edges
Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on back
2023
22.5 in. h x 22.5 in. w x 1.5 in. d
2 lbs. 0 oz.