by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
In oils, Clair Hartman has expressed herself in many different ways, from her silly, but well wrought “Dogs in Hats” series and dynamic “Surfer” series, to her vibrant still lifes and “Ballerina” series. Her newest series, called “In Hell” will be revealed for the public at an art exhibition of that series. I sat down and spoke to her about her life and her art before the showing:
Have you lived in Jacksonville long?
I was born here actually; my family came to Florida in the 1700’s. They were Minorcans. They were brought over in a ship to St. Augustine, then they moved to Mayport, so my family goes back quite a few generations [in this area]. I moved to New York for about a year, then I had to come back to Jacksonville. I love Jacksonville. It’s my town…The great thing about Jacksonville is that there’s so many different landscapes wherever you go.
How has your alcoholism affected your work?
Ten years ago when I met my husband, I was pretty heavy drinking but I was painting and a lot of times I would paint and wake up the next morning and run out to the garage cause I wasn’t sure what I’d painted. So when I quit drinking, I couldn’t paint. It just didn’t feel comfortable. It was like painting with my left hand, I couldn’t do it…Recently, when I turned forty, I started painting again. And now I’m painting, like, everything, as much as I can. I guess I’m trying to play catch up.
How long had it been since you last painted?
It had been eight years. I did three or four paintings when I first quit and then I went into cement sculpture and I did a lot of watercolor. But what I love, painting, I couldn’t do it. I love oils but I’ve recently started working in acrylic. I like the quick drying, but oils…seem to have more flow for me. I can go back the next day and still paint and it’s still wet on the canvas…I love the smell of oil…when I bring in a new painting it just fills the house with that smell, it’s just the smell of creativity.
What have your recent subjects been?
I’m going more into the emotional side. The “In Hell” series is very close to a recent deal that I just went through, so I’m kind of dissecting all the emotions that were involved. The hell is the turmoil of the situation…I’m using different objects to convey those different parts of me in turmoil. The dogs are still on-going and I love painting still lifes. Every once in a while I’ll go in and paint rocks or a peach or cherries. I just sold a painting of a bowl of cherries…The dogs in hats, I already have a good five paintings in my head…I never run out of stuff to do.
Can you tell us a little more about the “In Hell” series?
They’re all basically metaphors of [emotional] pain…Different things happen to people when they go through pain…Some people eat a lot, some people don’t eat at all, some people question their faith…Every object in the series is something that hell represents…When they look at a neon hamburger in hell, what are they going to think? I want people to get something else out of it rather than what I experience…The reason I did a hamburger is because when I went through something really emotional and the first thing that I ate was a big a hamburger and it just felt so good because I hadn’t really enjoyed food, you know, when you’re in pain you really don’t enjoy food at all.
What about the bunnies in hell painting? What do the bunnies mean?
Innocence. Sometimes in a relationship there is maybe innocence and sometimes that innocence will be tested, that innocence is in turmoil… Everyone hopefully will take something different when they look at...[my paintings].
What does the blue aura around the objects mean?
It represents the perfection of what it was before it was in hell, before you go through turmoil.
Clair Hartman’s “In Hell” series will be shown at Ragland’s in Five Points from 6-9PM on October 28th. Acoustic live music will be provided by Stevie Ray Stiletto & Matt Faris. To see more of her work go to http://hartmanndesign.net/paintings For her “Dogs in Hats” Series, visit Bungalow Artworks (2782 Park Street (904) 981-9493).
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