Port St. Lucie-based artist Skip Hartzell is known locally as “the dog artist”. He is a longtime supporter of no-kill animal rescues and donates proceeds from the sale of his artworks to animal-rescue, no kill shelters. The artworks he creates are inspired from morning walks accompanied by a furry friend, figments of his artistic imagination and creative vision. Hartzell creates directly from his emotions and instincts, his work is inspired by dogs of all shapes, sizes and varieties.
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| Skip Hartzell in his art studio |
Skip Hartzell’s art studio is crawling with canine-based works. Whether he’s painting or sculpting, Hartzell’s dogs have a wonderful quality of friendliness about them, and it’s hard to keep yourself from reaching out to touch. And that’s perfectly okay with Hartzell. He’s never been one to place a rope around his artwork.
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| ‘Dogs of the Apocalypse’, Oil and Flashe on Canvas, 48 x 48 Inches |
“The texture is so important because the tactile experience of sculpture is so primal for me,” he says. “You grab with your hands and just start to mush things together and get your fingers on the materials, and there is just such a richness to the feel.” He says whenever he’s doing a show, he is quick to hand his sculptures to the patrons so they can enjoy the feeling, too. And whether it’s paint on canvas or sculpture, the texture is one of the most captivating and inviting parts of experiencing his artwork. Hartzell may not set out to mimic the look of someone’s beloved pet, but he says his sculptures and paintings often evoke a fond memory of a furry family member.
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| Skip Hartzell Art Collectors, Art Palm Beach Fair |
“If you love dogs, you are going to love Skip Hartzell’s soulful pieces. His work is representative of caricature features of dogs,” said J. Marshall Adams, the executive director of the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce where Hartzell has held exhibitions.
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| 'Always In My Heart', Oil on Canvas, 48 x 60 Inches |
“Although I love dogs, my art is about much more, it is about form, movement and mostly about the painterly expression and texture of the surface,” Hartzell says. The artist has held numerous solo exhibitions at notable art galleries and prestigious art fairs such as Art Palm Beach, A.E. Backus Museum, Paul Fisher Gallery, and Aqua Art Fair during Art Basel Miami Beach.
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| ‘Big Pink’, Papercrete and Resin, 36 x 32 x 16 Inches |
To learn more about this fascinating artist, for sales information, commissions, or general inquiries, please email: skipperhartzell@yahoo.com and visit www.skiphartzell.com
