* D A V I D * H A R T Z *

DAVID HARTZ is one of the foremost artists associated with the Fremont Arts Council. He is an accomplished painter and illustrator, with strong interests in fire artistry and performance art as well.

Dave has contributed his talents to the creation of a 28-foot dragon puppet which has been seen after dark as a fire sculpture actually breathing jets of flame, and as a puppet writhing above the heads of the Solstice Parade crowd while exhaling puffs of CO-2 smoke. The dragon is the signature piece of Firedrake, a group of fire artists.

With the Cirque de Flambe Dave and his partner, Astrid "Smoke Cookie" Larsen, perform "fire painting" and athletic dances through the flames. At the '98 Burning Man Art Festival Dave and Astrid wowed spectators by carving an enormous maze from the Nevada desert floor and igniting it into a linear pattern of flame after sundown. He is seen here lighting off the maze.

In more conventional media, Dave has painted a series of mandalas which are used in our events to lend an air of ritual and sacred space, and has chalked the Magic Circle on the floor for our Winter Solstice festivities more than once. He painted the panels of Curious George's adventures which formed the nucleus of a float and ensemble for thei '95 Solstice Parade, and which now hang in our Headquarters, the Powerhouse. Dave also designed the Sun and Moon mosaics which decorate the retaining wall on either side of the Powerhouse.

Dave is among our most active talents. His work has been shown in the Northwest Invitational and other exhibits, and has been showered with awards from the 'legitimate' Seattle art world.

Photo by Bill Smythe; copyright © 1999 by Fremont Arts Council