Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Artist Jim Harper's Flora paintings, and unique photos of everyday objectswill be on display Museum of the Earth on Friday Art Night, June 8, 2018, from 5-8 pm. The Museum will be open for extended evening hours for this show in the Museum's Gift Shop.

An artist for over 40 years, Harper works in a variety of media including painting, photography, sculpture, and functional art. His focus has been in exploring the sculptural shapes and forms in everyday objects, as well as the textures that enrich their surfaces. His work looks to showcase the multi-curvilinear lines, volumes, and textures that transcends the simple definition of an object.

Harper's paintings include studies on the patterns of light and color in interior and exterior landscapes—-both natural and man-made. He is currently working on a series of paintings exploring the sculptural aspects of flora, which emphasize the sculptural shapes and vibrant colors of his subjects.

In photography, Harper's work focuses on seeing everyday objects in new ways. The pattern made by the remnants of old posters, the shapes highlighted by sunlight illuminating the corner of room, or a still life created by passage of time and weather—his photos highlight details of what others would might just pass by without a second glance.

Harper has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts: Metalwork & Jewelry from Northern Illinois University, and a Master of Arts degree in Sculpture from Governors State University (IL). He has also done several years of post-graduate study in the field of Education at Cornell University. Born and raised in the Chicago area, he moved to Ithaca, New York in 1978.

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