Paintings by M.J. Hartwig

"Mierde," Oil on Canvas, 36" X 48"/"Let Them Eat Kale," Oil on Canvas, 36" X 48"

M.J. Hartwig occupies a space rarely found in contemporary art. He is an attorney, artist, author, and farmer, roles that speak not only to professional versatility but to a life shaped by experience rather than abstraction. Dividing his time between the United States and Mexico, Hartwig’s worldview is forged at the intersection of land and sea, law and labor, intellect and instinct.

Before dedicating himself to painting, Hartwig worked as a fisherman, tugboat captain, and salvor, professions rooted in risk, physical endurance, and intimate knowledge of nature’s volatility. These years on the water instilled in him a firsthand understanding of impermanence and flux, lessons that would later emerge as foundational themes in his art. Unlike many artists whose relationship with nature is observational or symbolic, Hartwig’s connection is experiential. He has negotiated with storms, tides, and mechanical failure, learning early that control is always provisional.

This lived reality informs not only what Hartwig paints, but why he paints.