Charley Harper - Biography

Charley Harper (1922- 2007 ) provides us with a unique view of animals and other aspects of the natural world--not through realistic paintings, but by means of stylized drawings and paintings that capture the essence of his subjects using the fewest elements.

He describes his style as minimal realism. In his art, the parts of the creature or ecological system are all there and are recognizable, but distilled in a manner that enhances our appreciation for their unique combinations of shapes and colors (i.e., less is more). He like to joke that he doesn't count the feathers of the birds he paints, just the wings. His different perspective on the world always includes a little humor and mystery.

Although trained as a realistic painter (Cincinnati Art Academy 1947), Charley soon realized that realism would "reveal nothing about the subject that nature had not done better." Combining the skills and drafting tools of the architect with the aesthetic sense of the painter, he began to develop his distinctive style that aims to help us want to preserve the natural treasures that remain. In the museum world he has been considered a "modernist".

In addition to his many acrylic paintings on canvas, Charley has designed over 50 "bio" posters for non-profit conservation groups, nature centers and zoos, United States national parks and monuments, and international wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere preserves. One of the first federally commissioned posters was the ecology of Glacier Bay National Park in the 1960's.

Other works include the design of ceramic tile murals for the Federal Building and Convention Center in Cincinnati, as well as the Biology Building at Miami University in Ohio. He has also illustrated interpretive displays for Everglades National Park in Florida. In addition, Charley has created over 100 limited-edition silkscreen prints and giclee prints, as well as many lithographed open edition prints.

Charley has produced two books of his prints and painting, Charley Harper's Birds and Words (1974, out-of-print) and Beguiled By the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper (1994, Flower Valley Press, Gaithersburg, Maryland). Before those books, he also illustrated two books for a younger audience through the Golden Press, The Golden Book of Biology (1961) and The Animal Kingdom (1968). He is the subject of a forthcoming biography written by Todd Oldham, to be published by Regan Books, an division of Harper-Collins Publishing of New York. His home and studio are in Cincinnati, Ohio area.