William Hartman:
An Artist’s Life

January 17 - March 28, 2025
Patricia Thompson Alumni and Skylight Galleries

ABOUT:
This exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of William Hartman, a prominent painter, teacher, and founding figure in Sarasota's vibrant art community. Born in 1906 in Muskegon, Michigan, Hartman's career began under the mentorship of Hackley Art Gallery director Frank Almay. As the first artist in Muskegon hired by the WPA, he contributed dioramas for the city’s 1937 Centennial Celebration, marking the start of a lifelong journey in the arts. He came to Sarasota in 1945 where he met his future wife Martha Dye and the two of them became established members of the Sarasota art community. He later joined the faculty of the Ringling School of Art. He taught life drawing, landscape, and portraiture, inspiring countless students and colleagues.

Hartman's work is distinguished by his love for painting outdoors, often capturing the morning light with bold, expressive brushstrokes, and vivid colors that convey the immediacy and spontaneity of his watercolor technique. The exhibition features over two dozen paintings, vintage photos, and stories, offering glimpses of both old Sarasota and the serene landscape of Michigan, where he spent summers painting sand dunes and pastoral vistas. Hartman's artistic passion for the natural world, is expressed through images of peaceful shorelines and lively circus scenes.

More than a painter, Hartman played a crucial role shaping the Sarasota art scene. In 1952, he and his wife Martha founded the Hartman School of Art and sales gallery. Four years later, she founded the Petticoat Painters, now one of the oldest women's painting groups in America. Together they preserved an artistic heritage that helped define Sarasota as a nationally recognized art colony. William Hartman: An Artist’s Life provides an intimate look at Hartman's contributions to the community and his role in fostering an artistic legacy that endures to this day.