William Hartman (American, 20th C) Watercolor print of a landscape painting depicting a boathouse on a river bank, backed by tropical trees. Unsigned.Provenance: From the William Hartman gallery.Frame: 19 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. Sight: 10 3/4 x 15 1/4 in. William Hartman was born in Muskegon, Michigan on March 8,  1906.  His father came to Muskegon from the Netherlands about 1880 where he met and married Kate Karel, whose parents had also come from the Netherlands.  William, Thomas?s youngest son, began painting in oils at the age of eight.  He attended art classes at the Hackley Art Gallery in Muskegon, and was a prot?g? of its Director Frank Almy.  Hartman was the first artist in Muskegon to be hired by the WPA, and was soon commissioned to paint and construct dioramas of the city?s history for their 1937 Centennial Celebration. The Hartman?s built a large studio for his classes in Sarasota, and later another in Michigan on property adjacent to the Silver Lake State Park.  He spent summers there, with his family, painting his beloved sand dunes and the peaceful vistas of Oceana County.  In 1969, he joined the faculty of the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, teaching Life Drawing, Landscape and Portrait.  Stricken with cancer in the early 80?s, he retired from his teaching duties to paint, which he did practically to the end.  Hartman preferred working out-of-doors, out early, to catch the morning sun.  With the light changing rapidly, he worked quickly, usually within a two hour period.  His bold brush strokes and vibrant colors capturing the freshness and spontaneity of watercolor.  #1785