HART JAMES Peace of the Wild
April 2021
Portrait of Hart James
HART JAMES Peace of the Wild April 2021 “Peace of the Wild,’ is an exhibition of new oil paintings by Olympiabased artist Hart James. James’ work imbues the spirit and energy of nature through her bold depictions—defining a sense of place. She captures reflections seen on still waters, dramatic landforms, cascading waterfalls amongst rugged rocks, and draping limbs in dark lush forests. Upon spending much of her creative life curiously wandering and appreciating the outdoors the artist reflects, “We are nature, and in nature, is our peace. What we most need to do is to sing with the Earth on the inside.” A dynamic use of paint, applied with immediacy and without fuss, charges James’ paintings with a balance of chaotic energy and orderly qualities mimicking that of the natural world. Working primarily with palette knife and rag allows the artist to remain less bound to precision and work more organically. This process affords a strong connection between the artist and the wellspring of creativity and intuition. James shares, “The importance of the messy drip, the misplaced color, the accident in my work is paramount. For my purposes, precision, and exactitude of process kills the painting. The energy is lost.” James’ approach allows her to move from a more traditional landscape painting style to a contemporary spontaneous one.
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A Place to Be oil and charcoal on canvas 30 x 40 in.
The Wanderer oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Red Falls oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Reflections of Summertime Remembered oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
The Creek Beyond Peacock Road oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
The Canyon oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Reflections of Heaven oil, charcoal and pencil on canvas 36 x 36 in.
The Banks of Memory oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
The Slide oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Dark Cloud oil on canvas 10 x 20 in.
Sudden Turn oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Daydreaming Down By the Creek oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
The Long Fall oil and charcoal on canvas 10 x 20 in.
Mountains in Time oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Puget Sound oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
Falls in Endless Time oil on canvas 36 x 36 in.
On the Edge oil and charcoal on canvas 36 x 36 in.
HART JAMES BIO Hart James’ work speaks of the energy of nature—the current of the water, the flow of the air over us, and the rock formations that form the foundation under our feet. Using oil, and charcoal, every painting is an attempt to reunite with an existence symbiotic with the natural world. James believes the peace of nature is on the inside, as well as the outside. Hart James studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Art Institute, and with Anne Truitt, Vera Berdich, and Ed Pashcke, among others. In addition she studied art history and biology at Northwestern University, which has provided a strong background for her devotion to the arts. She has participated in artist residencies across the country including Oxbow, Morris Graves Foundation, Seaside, and the Vermont Studio Residency. James lives and works in Olympia, Washington. BORN 1956
Lexington, KY
EDUCATION 1970-74 1974-78 1978-80 1977
Madeira School, McLean, VA Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA Studied under Anne Truitt, Vera Berdich, Ed Paschke, and Alex Castro
SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2023 Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA 2021 Peace of the Wild, Harris Harvey Gallery, Seattle, WA Carillon Point, Kirkland, WA, curated by Malayka and Tom Gormally of Gormally Consul tants, Seattle, WA The Song of the Earth, Helen South Alexander Gallery, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane, WA 2019 Blue: Landscapes of the Northwest, Harris Harvey Gallery, Seattle, WA Smith & Vallee Gallery, Edison, WA. Jan Hoy, 3-D artist Gallery 110, Seattle, WA Mother Earth, The Gallery at the Old Alcohol Plant Inn, Port Haddock, WA Zen, Gallery 110, Seattle, WA 2018 Tacoma Community Gallery at Gig Harbor, Tacoma, WA Pierce College Gallery, Tacoma, WA Washington Department of Ecology Gallery, Olympia, WA Gallery 110, Seattle, WA Lower Columbia College Gallery, Longview, WA All Sort’s Gallery, Olympia, WA Washington Department of Ecology Gallery, Olympia, WA 2017 Cobalt Gallery, Mendocino, CA Tim Carmody Gallery, Fort Bragg, CA 2015 The Ancients, Washington Arts Center, Olympia, WA 2014 Washington Department of Ecology Gallery, Olympia, WA 1999 Lexington Public Library Gallery, Lexington, KY 1998 Mixed Media Meditations, President’s Room, University of Kentucky, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, KY 1984 501 Gallery, Eugene, OR
SELECTED GROUP & JURIED EXHIBITIONS 2021 SW Washington Juried Merit Show, Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, Juror: June Sekiguchi Vast, Smith & Vallee, Bow, WA Birdland, Smith & Vallee, Bow, WA Sheltered, Schack Art Center, Everett, WA 2020 Fall Perspectives, Harris Harvey Gallery, Seattle, WA SW Washington Juried Merit Show, Minnaert Gallery, South Puget Sound Community Col lege, Olympia, WA, Juror: Dawna Holloway, curator/gallery owner of studio e SW Washington Juror’s Invitational Show, Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, Curator: June Sekiguchi 2019 Seattle Art Fair, represented by Smith & Vallee, Seattle, WA Gray Sky Gallery, Seattle, WA Ledger Square Law, Tacoma, WA SW Washington Juried Invitational, Minnaert Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, Juror: curator/gallery owner of studio e, Dawna Holloway Anacortes Arts Festival Juried Art Show, Curator of Museum of Northwest Art, Joanna Sikes. Anacortes, WA Tacoma Community College Gallery, Tacoma, WA. Olympia Court House, Olympia, WA 2018 The Gallery at the Old Alcohol Plant Inn, Port Haddock, WA Tacoma Community College Gallery, Tacoma, WA Northwind Art Center, Port Townsend, WA SW Washington Juried Merit Show. Minnaert Gallery, South Puget Sound Community Col lege, Olympia, WA. Juror: Amy McBride, Tacoma Art Museum, Curator Smith & Vallee Gallery Invitational Botanical Show, Edison, WA 2017 Smith & Vallee Gallery Anniversary Show, Edison, WA Gormally Consultants, Seattle, WA Strokes of Genius, Juried Exhibition Maryland Federation of Arts, Juror: Susan Behrends Frank, Ph.D. The Phillips Collection, Annapolis, MD SW Washington Juror’s Invitational, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, Curator, Amy McBride, Tacoma Art Museum, Curator Anacortes Arts Festival, Art at the Port Juried Exhibition, Juror: Pablo Schugurensky, Microsoft Curator, Anacortes, WA 2016 Glendeven Inn, Mendocino, CA Stanford Inn, Mendocino, CA Oddfellows, Mendocino, CA Smith & Vallee Gallery Invitational Landscape Show, Edison, WA SW Washington Invitational, Minnaert Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA Mercer Island Plein Aire Invitational, Mercer Island, WA 2015 Ex-Patriots Invitational Show, Lexington, KY 2014 All Woman Art Show, Washington State University, Tri-Cities, Richland, WA Ex Patriots Invitational Show, Artsplace, Lexington, KY 2000 Force of the New Millennium, Living Arts and Science Center, Lexington, KY 1998 National Collage Society Thirteenth Annual Juried Exhibit, Cleveland, OH 1997 Scissors, Paper, Rock, Loudon House, Lexington, KY Three Woman Show, Art’s Place, Lexington, KY Thirteenth Annual Juried Exhibit, Art’s Place, Lexington, KY 1996 The Nude Show, Loudon House, Lexington, KY 1984 Women’s Symposium, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
SELECTED GROUP & JURIED EXHIBITIONS continued... 1984 1983 1982
Self Image, Zone Gallery, Invitational exhibition, Eugene, OR Oregon Watercolor Society Annual Juried Show, Salem, OR Women’s Symposium, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR Women’s Symposium, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
RESIDENCIES & AWARDS 2020 2019 2018 2017 2015 2016 2015 2000 1979
SW Washington Juror’s Merit Award Group Show, Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, Juror: June Sekiguchi SW Washington Juror’s Merit Award, Minnaert Gallery, South Puget Sound Community Col lege, Olympia, WA, Juror: Dawna Holloway, gallerist/curator studio e, Seattle, WA Guest Curator for Ryan James Gallery, Kirkland, WA. Featuring Galen Garwood Anacortes Arts ‘Festival Award,’ Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes, WA. Juror, Joanna Sikes, director of MoNA, LaConner, WA SW Washington Juror’s Merit Award Group Show, Minnaert Gallery, South Puget Sound Com munity College, Olympia, WA, Juror: Amy McBride, Tacoma Art Museum SW Washington Juror’s Merit Award, Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, Juror: Amy McBride, Tacoma Art Museum Vermont Studio Center Fellowship Award, Johnson, VT Oxbox Artist Residency, Oxbox Artist Colony, Saugatuck, MI Escape to Create Artist Residency, Seaside, FL, Residency and Salon Morris Graves Foundation Residency, Loleta, CA Spokane Visual Arts Award, a monetary award connected with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture; inclusion in the Museum collection, Spokane, WA Kentucky Women Artists Award, second runner up Oxbow Artist Residency, Oxbow Artist Colony, Saugatuck, MI
TEACHING 2020 2018-2020 2019 2018
Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA, NW artists lecture Private painting classes St. Martin’s University, Lacey, WA, art history and drawing classes Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA, oil painting
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