"I am mostly trying to get out of the way and let the work be what it wants to be."
RODNEY HATFIELD
BORN: 1947, Blackberry Creek, KY
"I am mostly trying to get out of the way and let the work be what it wants to be."
Rodney Hatfield, 2007
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Selby Fleetwood Gallery; Santa Fe, NM 2008, 2007, 2006
Kentucky Center for the Arts; Louisville, KY 2008, 2005, 1997
Bennett Street Gallery; Atlanta, GA 2008
Lynne Fine Art; Scottsdale, AZ 2007, 2006, 2005
Swanson Reed Contemporary; Louisville, KY 2007, 2005, 2003
Deloney Newkirk Fine Art; Santa Fe, NM 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001
Swanson Cralle; Louisville, KY 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1992, 1989
Expressions in Fine Art; Santa Fe, NM 1999, 1998
Only Artists; Cincinnati, OH 1997
Artsplace; Lexington, KY 1995, 1988
Lexington Public Library; Lexington, KY 1993
Instituto de Capacitacion Municipal ICM-Quito; Quito, Ecuador 1993
Joseph Beth; Lexington, KY 1993
Café La Plazuela; Quito, Ecuador 1993
Posada Kingman; Quito, Ecuador 1993
Appalshop Gallery; Whitesburg, KY 1991
Capital Gallery of Contemporary Art; Frankfort, KY 1990
Merida Gallery; Louisville, KY 1988
Headley-Whitney Museum; Lexington, KY 1987
PUBLICATIONS:
2008 Sun Monthly cover
2007 American Art Collector
2006 American Art Collector
2005 Focus
2002 Focus
2002 Louisville Courier Journal
2000 Focus
1999 Lexington Herald-Leader
COLLECTIONS:
Kentucky Center for the Arts; Louisville, KY
Casa del Torro Gallery; Quito, Ecuador
Kenmark Optical; Louisville, KY
Stites and Harbison; Louisville, KY
Rick Heath and Merryly Orsini; Louisville, KY
Donald and Clare Cox; Louisville, KY
Bob Schiffer; New York, NY
Liam Neeson; Los Angeles, CA
John Irvin; Los Angeles, CA
Gene Hackman; Santa Fe, NM
Sarabande Books; Louisville, KY
Susan Contreras and Elias Rivera; Santa Fe, NM
Judge William Graham; Frankfort, KY
Edward Newmark; Soho, NY
ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY:
Rodney Hatfield, a.k.a. Art Snake, grew up in Kentucky in a working-class family. Though fine art itself may not have had a prominent place in his formative years, folk art, music and the art of living abounded. Hatfield’s childhood was rich with diverse characters and lifestyles, adding fuel to his already burning fires of imagination.
Music was his first love and has long been a big part of Hatfield’s life. Late nights spent blowing blues harp on stage with his band for the last three decades has added to his sense of rhythm and appreciation of colorful people. The lyrical sensibilities and humor cultivated as a club musician are evident in his work as a painter. Flowing brush strokes, multiple layers and overtones, and hard-edged scratches are all visible in his paintings.
Hatfield is self-taught, which is to say he has gathered information from many sources including his own. He credits the works of Marc Chagall and Joan Miro as early inspirations. Other artists that have inspired include Paul Klee and Rufino Tamayo.
Hatfield’s talent as a visual artist was evident from an early age. Yet it took many years for him to feel ready to expose his very private art to the public. He had already made a name for himself as a musician, so when he was ready to share his paintings with the world, he decided to sign his name “Art Snake,” a humorous play on the phrase “art for art’s sake.”
The juxtaposition of the shy performer, the philosopher and joker, the visionary and the guy next door can all be seen when one takes the time to look beneath the surface of Hatfield’s work. His paintings are original and unique. Figurative and abstract. Hatfield seems comfortable finding, discarding and regaining a new personal balance point with each piece he creates.
He sees his work as a collaborative effort, allowing what wants to emerge, to reveal itself through him onto a waiting canvas, delighting and surprising both himself and the many collectors who have come to appreciate his loose and uninhibited style.
