Greg Harris
Greg Harris was born in California in 1953. He showed an interest in drawing from the age of five and was instructed by his mother, who was a professional artist. He won a number of trophies and awards while in high school and after graduation, he continued to win first prize in art competitions in Southern California. As a freelance artist, Harris completed many art projects for motion picture studios including Columbia Picture’s purchase of eleven paintings for the film “Annie”. He continued his studies at the Art Students League in New York City, and in 1985, he returned to California.
Harris works in many media including oil, pastel, watercolor, clay, and bronze. He has been influenced by the Boston school painters Sargent, Benson, and Tarbell, and greatly inspired by the Europeans, Andres Zorn and Claude Monet.
Though Harris’s subject matter was more varied in the past because of his studio work, he is now most comfortable, and at his best, painting beautiful, sensitive women in period settings. His immensely decorative paintings, sun-drenched in shimmering light and brilliant color, are a celebration of the good things life has to offer. His colors are bold, yet they do not fight, and when combined side by side, they take on an air of feminity, grace, and nostalgia. Daubs of color transform themselves into rose gardens, tree-lined paths or distant ocean breakers. With each plane of perspective, Harris takes the viewer deeper into each composition. His detailing of facial features is off-set with the loose suggestion of windblown hair, frilly blouses, and flowing skirts.
Under the watchful eyes of critics, Harris has won numerous awards and blue ribbons for his art. He is praised for his professionalism and art collectors across the nation enthusiastically purcase his art for its beauty and emotional impact. His works have been collected widely and are in the permanent collections of regional museums including the Zigler museum in Louisiana and the Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art in Missouri. Recent collectors include country singer George Strait
and actress Donna Mills.