Hart James

Growing up on a farm, Hart immersed herself in the natural world, her backpack filled with empty jars and Golden Guide Books on Insects, Plants, and Birds, dedicating her days to exploring the beauty, transience, intricate processes, and natural rhythms. Hart acknowledges that her childhood was unique; she spent countless hours outdoors, wandering her family's farm and the vast, neighboring countryside encompassing over 1,500 acres. In this immersive environment, Hart developed a profound connection with nature, a relationship seemingly reminiscent of bygone eras, embodying a keen understanding of natural processes that even modern scientists are just beginning to uncover. At the tender age of ten, she grasped the infiniteness of space, humanity's insignificance, the fleeting nature of life, and the awe-inspiring vitality of nature's life force.

Hart's artistic journey is supported by her education at the Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Art Institute, where she learned from mentors such as Anne Truitt, Vera Berdich, and Ed Pashcke. Her academic pursuits at Northwestern in art history and biology further enriched her artistic dedication. She has also participated in artist residencies across the United States, including Oxbow, Morris Graves Foundation, and Seaside. In recognition of her artistic achievements, Hart was awarded a fellowship to attend the Vermont Studio Residency in 2017-18.

Her artistry has earned her various accolades, including the SW Juror's Merit Award in 2020 and the Anacortes Arts Festival Award' in 2019, among others. Her impressive solo exhibitions include Songs of the Earth and Returning Home in 2023, Nature on the Inside and Earth, Wind, and Sky in 2022, and Song of the Earth in 2021, displayed at the Spokane Museum of Arts and Culture and Harris Harvey Gallery, to name a few.