Artists explore landscape of transformation and emotion at Gibsons Public Market

Two Sunshine Coast artists who use photography for the first step on distinct creative paths were chosen by the Gibsons Public Market as featured exhibitors through August and September.

Works by painter Tammy Hartmann and digital artist Susan Harman are displayed in the market’s public galleries as part of its ongoing Art at the Market series.

Hartmann, a retired school principal, is an active outdoorswoman who captures photographs of inspiring landscapes during journeys by foot or paddle. It was her involvement in outrigger races that first attracted Hartmann and her husband to the Sunshine Coast. She met painter Ed Hill, himself a paddling enthusiast, who became her art teacher and mentor.

In the studio, Hartmann uses her photographic images to inspire acrylic paintings that possess chimeric realism. Crisp lines of snow-laden branches in “Solitude” evoke ideal hibernal afternoons. Meticulously defined branches are intermediaries between the viewer and a dreamlike, opalescent seascape in “Senses Put In Order.”

“A lot of times people will look and say, ‘I thought it was a photograph,’” said Hartmann. “I do paint with a lot of detail, but if you were to compare the photograph with my painting, I do take some liberties in terms of interpretation and colour. I love the freedom to play and create shape, texture and shadows.”  

Inspired by the practice of her mentor Hill, Hartmann pairs each of her works with a reflective essay. The short narratives illuminate her relationship with the setting depicted in the painting or print.

The precariousness of life during COVID-19 is expressed in several of Hartmann’s works. In “Nothing Lasts Forever”, her depiction of a former boathouse near Plumper Cove came with a newfound appreciation for ephemerality. 

“Even landscapes, they’re ever-changing,” she said. “Yet trees, rocks and water are three things that really anchor me. During COVID, I had to go to those places where there are rocks or water or trees to help ground me.”

For digital image-maker Susan Harman, the familiar confines of a photograph are only square one. Using image processing software, she manipulates and blends images, shapes, and colours to achieve the true expression of her emotions.

 “My art is really a visual conversation or collaboration between my subconscious and conscious mind,” Harman said. “I use the tools of photography and painting and graphic design to try to express some of those invisible feelings to help me and hopefully connect to people.”

Despite Harman’s digital substrate, her images teem with organic references. In “The Heart is 73% Water,” a taciturn lily floats in the eye of a red-dappled maelstrom. The two-dimensional tendrils and mossy hues in “Cold Geometry” suggest a forest grove has been compressed and preserved between pages of a book.

After the death of her mother two years ago, Harman embarked on a series of designs that depict the shape of grief – and reach for answers. “I know the message of an artwork has arrived when it results in a deep sigh in me,” she said. 

One of her images, “The Moment She Died”, became the impetus for a profound exchange with its purchaser. “We had this incredible conversation about what it meant to her and what she saw in the image. It’s that curiosity and sparking of conversation that is the major part of my work,” she said. 

Harman is a graduate of Emily Carr University. Four years ago, she retired from teaching at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. After reflecting on her experience as a filmmaker, instructor and artist, she is prepared to explore new forms of engagement. “I think what I’m wanting to do is to go big, where it embraces people physically rather than just visually,” she said.

Works by Tammy Hartmann and Susan Harman are on display at the Gibsons Public Market until September 30.