artefact

AnthonyHarris

Biography

The Artist's work has always been motivated by nature - from microscopic to panoramic. His latest work has its essence in the Karoo and Richtersveld landscape, although it has no reference to specific place or time. Mankind or his flotsam is seldom represented. The Artist chooses marks and shapes that evoke a recollection of an object or a mood.

This he achieves through his own dialogue of subconscious and conscious action in painting. He does not work from specific visual references (photographs or in situ painting) but draws on subconscious experiences of nature - "we are what we allow ourselves to experience." Through the physical act of painting, the Artist makes the subconscious, conscious.

Technically, the Artist uses oil on board. Oil paint, as Anthony says, "...has organic qualities that do not exist in other mediums. Oil can be used and stretched to extreme visual representation." The use of board is also an integral part of the painting as he prepares the board to reflect the kind of surface he wants - from extremely smooth to textured undercoat, at times applying many layers of undercoat and gesso. In applying the paint, the Artist uses "...anything that creates a visually stimulating mark or texture..." (both implied and actual). This is in essence the content of the Artist's work. While the end result is perceived as a "landscape" the Artist's indulgence is the visual stimulation of the mark the medium makes...

As Marshall McLuhan says "the medium is the message...."

Mood is also an integral part of the work. This is achieved through the use of chiaroscuro (strong tonal contrast) and what the Artist calls "visual silence". The Artist describes "visual silence" in his work as an area where the eye can rest. The eye is naturally drawn to detail in the work and can be visually overindulged - the area of "visual silence" provides the eye the resting place the eye needs (this area is invariably the focal or secondary focal point of the work).

Anthony believes that the illusion of a landscape or a painting depicting objects' is secondary to the two-dimensional surface, the medium and the mark that the medium makes...

"The mark is the message..." Anthony Harris.

Anthony Harris CV

Selected Exhibitions and personal events:

• 1975 Art South Africa Today Durban Art Gallery Durban 
• 1978 Two Man Exhibition Walsh Marais Gallery Durban 
• 1978 Two Man Exhibition Port Shepstone Natal 
• 1979 Structures Exhibition NSA Gallery Durban 
• 1979 Natal Artists Touring Exhibition Durban, Windhoek, Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg 
• 1980 N.S.A. Members Exhibition N.S.A. Gallery Durban 
• 1981 Group Exhibition Walsh Marias Gallery Durban 
• 1982 Natal Artists Exhibition Durban Art Gallery Durban 
• 1982 Natal Artists Exhibition Tatham Gallery Pietermaritzburg 
• 1983 Commercial Airbrush work 
• 1983 Resigned from Natal Education Department. 
• 1984 Stopped teaching and moved to Johannesburg to pursue a career in commerce and industry. Moved to Cape Town in 1987 and over the next ten years opened and managed six successful businesses (including two Art Galleries) and sold the last business in 1997 to resume Art on a full time basis.
• 1995 Group Exhibition Somerset West Cape 
• 1996 Group Exhibition Strand Cape 
• 1997 Group Exhibition Port Elizabeth E. Cape 
• 1999 "Veluka" Sanlam Exhibition Belville Art Gallery - Merit award Cape Town 
• 2000 Group Exhibition. EPSAC EPSAC Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2001 Three Man Exhibition Cuyler St Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2001 Three Man Exhibition Dorp St Gallery Stellenbosch 
• 2001 "Vuleka" Sanlam Exhibition Belville Art Gallery Cape Town 
• 2001 ICONS Exhibition Dorp St Gallery Stellenbosch 
• 2002 Dawid's Choice Exhibition Dorp St Gallery Stellenbosch 
• 2002 No Name Group Exhibition Cuyler St Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2002 Eastern Cape Artists Exhibition Cuyler St Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2002 Three Man exhibition Gallery Sharon Somerset West 
• 2002 "Dryland" Solo Exhibition Knysna Fine Art Knysna 
• 2003 Five person Exhibition curated by Trent Read of Knysna Fine Art Old Mutual plc - Head Office Trafalgar London London, United Kingdom 
• 2003 Solo Exhibition Dorp Street Gallery Stellenbosch 
• 2003 Group Exhibition - Australia Gallery Africana Melbourne, Australia 
• 2003 Group Exhibition Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Port Elizabeth 
• 2004 Solo Exhibition KKNK Arts Festival Oudshoorn 
• 2004 Four Person Exhibition National Arts Festival Grahamstown 
• 2004 Eastern Cape Artists Exhibition National Arts Festival Grahamstown 
• 2004 Group Exhibition EPSAC Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2004 Moved to Port Elizabeth from Gordon's Bay, Cape Town 
• 2004 85th Annual Exhibition EPSAC Gallery Port Elizabeth
• 2005 Opened Textures Gallery 14 Park Lane Central, Port Elizabeth with the aim of promoting SA Art and Artists to the broader Eastern Cape Art enthusiast 
• 2005 Group Exhibition Textures Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2005 Three-man Exhibition KKNK Arts Festival Oudshoorn S.A. 
• 2005 Group Exhibition Cuyler St Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2005 Three-man Exhibition National Arts Festival Grahamstown 
• 2006 "Earth" - Solo exhibition KKNK Arts Festival Oudshoorn 
• 2006 Group Exhibition Tamasa Gallery Durban 
• 2006 "Earth" - Three-man Exhibition National Arts Festival Grahamstown 
• 2006 Group Exhibition Gallery - Grande Provence Franschoek 
• 2006 Biennale Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Port Elizabeth 
• 2006 Two-man Exhibition Artworks Gallery Somerset West 
• 2006 Group Exhibition Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Port Elizabeth 
• 2006 "Seven Ways" - Group Exhibition Textures Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2007 "Roots/Routes" - Solo exhibition National Arts Festival Grahamstown 
• 2007 "Roots/Routes" - Solo exhibition KKNK Arts festival Oudshoorn 
• 2007 Port Elizabeth Artists - Group Exhibition Gallery - Grande Provence Estate Franschoek
• 2008 One Man Exhibition Knysna Fine Art 
• 2008 Solo Exhibition David Brown Fine Art Johannesburg 
• 2008 Two Man Exhibition Association of Art Pretoria 
• 2008 Solo Exhibition National Arts Festival Grahamstown 
• 2008 Solo Exhibition Cyler Street Gallery Port Elizabeth 
• 2008 Group Exhibition Aspire Gallery Pretoria 
• 2008 Six Person Exhibition Eco Gallery New York USA 
• 2008 Group Exhibition POS+TIVE Sun City