​Kelly Hartman

 

The room is empty, the stage is lit. In a place of self-reflection I move simple forms through my theatrical production, choosing compositions that create the most tension. My paintings of still life simplify the complexity of human characteristics through a limited vocabulary of objects and color.  Like idols, they represent and simplify a word, which can hold a million different nuances and personal reflections. Loneliness, paranoia, battles with faith, strength, and balance are some of the ideas represented. I tended to focus on the flaws, not because they encompass me, but because they need the most exploring to divulge the roots of them and find a way to change. The paintings are subtle as that is the way I think about these characteristics. They are the things one tends not to notice in a stranger; they take deeper investigation. One may see the blocks as stacks becoming one form or the balance of many. The strings that bind, the fabric that disguises, and the nails that pierce them give emotion to these simple blocks. Verbally and conceptually each individual work’s title refers back to a theme of building oneself with characteristics, good and bad. As people, we are always Under Construction.