With a vision inspired by nature and the far reaches of the cosmos, William K. Hartmann is known internationally for his astronomical research, writing, and painting. He first came to Hawai‘i in 1964 where he lived alone on Mauna Kea to do early site testing for what later became the Mauna Kea Observatory. Currently, he lives in Ka‘ū, and teaches occasionally at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.
Hartmann says that he is creatively stimulated by the varied landscapes and weather patterns of the Big Island. He organized the first International Space Art Workshop at the Volcano Art Center in 1982. He has been painting outdoors from nature in Hawai‘i for many years and tries to catch the essential quality of the Hawaiian landscape which he feels is missed in more stereotyped views of Hawaiian motifs.
He has twice been commissioned to do paintings for the NASA fine arts program and his paintings have been exhibited in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. His artwork has been published and collected in the U.S., France, England, and Japan.
Asteroid number 3341 is named for Hartmann in recognition of his astronomical research which includes the currently accepted theory on the origin of the moon, and he was the first winner of the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society for Communication of scientific work to the public via his paintings and writing.
