The visual world is incredible to me! A banquet of beauty, pattern and structure; everything is worth painting! I look for things seldom noticed and hard to find. I want to remind the viewer how wonderful it is to have eyes to see.
I’ve been painting and drawing for about 35 years in all the traditional paint media. My works range in size from miniature oak panels to large-scale murals. My favorite subjects are wild and domestic animals, still lifes, landscapes, mythology, military aviation and marine environments. Another of my passions is Food Art. I hope you’ll consider the examples included in my gallery. Great artists who inspire me include Rembrandt, Jan Van Eyck, Andy Warhol, Oldenburg and Bierstadt to name a few.
My “style” is hard to categorize because I do a wide variety of subjects and suit my approach to each one. However, some common denominators always present in my works are color, contrast and rich luminosity. I find that “switching up” styles and subjects keeps me fresh and inspired. But always present within my art is a simple love for the subjects I paint.
I earned a BFA in Fine Art from Valdosta State University while I was stationed in south Georgia with the U.S. Air Force. In the working world, I've used my creative skills in audiovisual production and documentary photography, and in print communications as well. I’ve done much volunteer work on plays and stage productions.
My bottom line as a businessman is that I live by the Golden Rule. I treat my customers the way I want to be treated as a customer. It's that simple!
Jonathan A. Hartley
