Big Stoney Creek at Rye Hollow

Two precious days on the lovely Big Stoney Creek located on Rye Hollow Road inside Giles County. A photographers dream-scape--lovely landscape architecture courtesy of Mother Nature. A bottle of French wine and companionship in front of a Monet like scene captured in photograph by Harkrader.

Boston Street TV - Urban Art

Street TV...a public art concept proposed by Harkrader in 2003 as a way to recycle old technology--the boob tube. The image above shows Harkrader with prototype on the streets of Boston. The concept  would solicit local government to write code that requires tube owners who plan to trash their tubes to provide them for public art. The code would authorize the 'temporary art' be placed near the residents public domain of streets, sidewalks and city parks, however municipal delays continued into 2010....Just kidding!   : )

Simon of Saint Lo

Harkrader and Simon of Saint-Lo France at Harkrader's Roanoke City studio. Chic and Elle are home host to Simon Garlantezec, a business student intern who is providing organizational support to the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.

ArtView: Visions and Voices
Contemporary International Art Exhibition
Roanoke Valley Sister Cities
November 4-7th, 2010

Elle and Simon

'Revealed Secret'  / 20" x "16 / mixed medium

Heavy medium creates 3D effect of multiple lucid layering

Available

Tools of the Trade

Harkrader poses with a few of his 'Tools of the Trade'. Harkrader remarks, " I apply medium with any tool that has a handle and will attach or embed any media that gets in the way".

Naranja Flor

Naranja Flor / 30" x 40" / Acrylic on Canvas / Available

Floral Abstract In Progress

The Floral Abstract is in progress. Canvas size is 36x48 / mixed media with embedded fibers and collage elements. Thick paint with pumice textures. Greek text from antique book. Nude language all but concealed.
Floral shapes with vase/vessel.

More Than One Work of Art Resides Here

More than one work of art resides in this image that Harkrader captured while visiting Suzi Gablik. Harkrader describes this precious child as an extension of his life. Quote; "Family, like art, contributes a step toward the doorway of immortality." The lovely, peaceful and restful painting by artist, Jane Vance, lives in the background.

Washington, DC / Aaron Gallery

From right; Annette Aaron, Director of Aaron Gallery in Washington, DC with artist Javier Cabada and Chico Harkrader, May 2010. Followed by drinks at the Black Fox Lounge, Dupont Circle and dinner at the French 'Bistro du Coin' across Connecticut Ave. The best room and breakfast at Carlyle Suites on New Hampshire.
Cabada was born 1931, in Barcelona, Spain. Cabada studied at the Massana Art School-Barcelona and the National School of Fine Arts, Lima Peru. He currently lives in Washington D.C

Sleeping Lady

'Sleeping Lady' / 2003 / mixed media / 35" x 45" / Mirror on wood panel wrapped with aluminum and copper / brass & copper nails / steel gears / washers / bushings and plastic clips. A Harkrader composition and construction...the mirror and panel profile is that of a reclining female as seen from the rear. Buttocks to the left, waist centered and shoulder to the right.

Words at the Link

Harkrader's 'Word' series at the O. Winston Link Museum during 2008 / 6-person group exhibit. This diptych is an off-center modular arrangement of canvases of gray and red embedded with other color elements of black and white, fiber and collage. 24" x (20) & 24" / mixed media on canvas.

Vessel V

Vessel V / 2007 / mixed medium with fibers, faux gold and raised text. 36 x 48 inches. Texture galore, drips and poured paint provide composition. Bold strokes with knife and brush. Windows view background wash of thin color as they provide depth. The Vessel series, like many Harkrader series are perpetual.

Philadelphia is the City of Murals

Philadelphia now has more murals than any other U.S. city after it created the Mural Arts Program in 1984. Most are high quality, figurative and convey history and culture. Philly is also home to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts which has probably had an influence upon the figurative focus of most murals there. While visiting a fellow artist and friend at the academy, Harkrader captured this photo of yet another version of urban art. This mural is located a few blocks north of www.pafa.org

Quotes within the mural composition include:

"Where the streets go dark, but they don't sleep."

"When the city is at peace, I need to make noise!!!"

"I am from you, why can't you see?"

Field Day & Planet Earth

'Field Day' a color field of gentle earth and petite action. 30" x 30". Gentle earth - Planet Earth!

...Planet Earth are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust
A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid
Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn't true
You are my sweetheart gentle and blue...
Michael Jackson

Threshold II & III

Threshold II & II / 60 x 40/ Diptych. Sold by Philadelphia artist agent to Pennsylvania collector 2009. Earth with red and orange. Drips, action, fields of color. 2 Dimensional with 3 Dimensional qualities.

Sarah EK Muse Digital Collage

Harkrader captures, with camera, Sarah EK Muse at her exhibit on Church Street, Roanoke, 2008. Muse specializes in metalwork with motifs of plant life, feminine symbolism and figurative elements. Muse founded SVMAG in 2004 for local metal artisans. Southwestern Virginia Metal Arts Guild provide opportunities for education, creativity and information among its members. Harkrader photographed Muse and her sculptural metalwork for this montage composition. He then superimposed multiple photographs into one digital collage using Photoshop. Three metal sculptured panel provide a visual horizontal path to the primary Muse portrait. The background of zoomed facial features provide depth. Anticipation blooms for the 'Spring Celebration and Kentucky Derby Party' hosted by Muse tomorrow, May 1, 2010. Yea!

Compositions Composition

The composition above has a very granular and textured surface that is embedded with sand, pumice, glass, plastic and fibers. 'Composition' from the Lyric series has very lyrical language. The shapes with fibers are instrument like, musical, an invitation to perform a stringed instrument. Antique sheet music and Greek text collage is embedded in addition to a 3 dimensional element of a black and white gently curved earpiece from a set of eyeglasses that compliment the flow. Other shapes within the composition mimic the bodies of instruments, a cross or crossroads, all surrounded by a heavily textured warm background of gray. 36x48 inches.

Triad Optical Illusion

Harkrader holds two juicy strokes of thick color in front of the red-orange and violet-blue canvases. : ). Not! Actually an optical illusion as staged by Harkrader and photographed by Fizer at Harkrader exhibit at Perspective Gallery in Virginia, 2007. The two canvases are two parts of a third (triptych) canvas that conveys the color theory (tertiary triad) titled 'Triad'. (40x90). Collection of the artist and photo courtesy of Fizer.