Trains & Lights, Firever

The holiday season in Cincinnati is really special. As you go down the streets you see so many houses lit with a multitude of colored lights. Its as if we live in a gingerbread city. There was even gorgeous dusting of snow over everything yesterday morning. This, of course, isn't much compared to other parts of the US right now, but it was really nice.

If you find yourself in the Cincinnati area for the holidays take the time to drive around at night. Galbraith Road is especially fantastic. As is the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights. Fountain Square, in the heart of downtown has outdoor ice skating underneath a gigantic holiday tree. If you get down by there early enough, walk over to 139 E. 4th St. for the 64th Annual Holiday Train Display. Because this is such a train town, you can go look at more holiday train displays at the Behringer-Crawford Museum, in Devou Park, just over the river in Kentucky, or take a quick drive up to the neighborhood of St. Bernard's Municipal Center to see the Queen City Hi-Railers display a 3-rail O-gauge modular railroad; and if you just haven't had enough Christmas trains, then head over to the Cincinnati Museum Center and visit Holiday Junction.

If you're interested in shopping, there is plenty of that in the area, too. In fact, head over to the Cincinnati Nature Center this weekend for the opening of the Charley Harper Art Show. Opening Reception runs from 1pm to 3pm, Saturday, December 12th. The show runs from Dec. 9-31, 2009, 10am - 5pm. Prints, posters, silkscreens, and more will be available for purchase. Or just go directly to charleyharperartstudio.com and order online.

Holidaze

Wow, the elves are working overtime here. We're beginning to sell out of items and are doing our best to keep those pointy-eared workers busy restocking our inventory. Hopefully, we'll only be out of those items for bit. The Charley Harper Art Studio would like to offer an apology for any inconveniences and thank all of our patrons for their patience. Just kidding. We don't employ elves. Its raccoons.

If any of you wonderful readers are in San Francisco this weekend, stop by Deco the Halls Modernism Show and do some holiday shopping. Charley Harper Art Studio will be there. The lovely Sandy Crouse will be more than happy to assist you with finding the appropriate gift for your favorite loved-one. She knows all the answers to all the questions, too.

Did you see us in December's Vogue Magazine? We are setting the bar for the fashion world. Remember, when you think fashion and couture, think Harper.

We Like Ty!

"Ty Wilkins is a designer and illustrator living in Wichita, Kansas. He works full time for Gardner Design and is the founder and editor of the popular typography blog Type Theory." He's also a Charley Harper fan and a very polite young man. We like polite. Check out his website. He's going to be making 30"x30" limited edition screenprints of some of his imagery soon.

Next time you visit the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden , visit the World of the Insect exhibit and say hello to Karen Schmidt and see wood that she collects from out behind the Charley Harper Art Studio for the beetles she cares for. Lots of beech trees in these here forests.

If your near yellow Springs, OH this weekend, come see our booth at the Glen Helen 27th Annual Nature Arts & Crafts Show. "The Show's setting is beautiful. it is housed in a limestone, timber, and glass building situated on the rim of Glen Helen nature Preserve." Glen Helen is a 1,000 acre nature preserved owned by Antioch University.

This Weekend is Chicago!!

Happy Autumn! Did you change your clocks? Are you ready to visit us at the 20th Modernism Show, at Winnetka, Illinois this weekend? What could be better than visiting Chicago and coming by to say hi to us? This volunteer-produced show is in the Winnetka Community House, at 620 Lincoln Ave., Winnetka, IL. It runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 7 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 8. There's a special preview party on Nov. 6th. from 6:30 to 9:30 and the cost includes show admission. There is also a VIP breakfast with Jan Parr at 9 a.m. Nov. 7, the cost of which also includes show admission.

"Modernism encompasses art movements that began in the late 19th century when artists, architects and designers were seeking a way to shed the stuffy, lavishly decorated style of the Victorian era. Clean lines, simple style, and sleek materials are among the hallmarks of Modernism. Well-known modernist slogans include, “Less is more,” and “Form follows function”."

The Winnetka Community House is a non-profit recreational, educational, and cultural arts organization serving the North Shore of Chicago. Founded in 1911 as a nondenominational gathering place for the village, the Community House’s programs sprang to life immediately with a variety of activities for all ages. Today, the Winnetka Community House welcomes more than 250,000 visitors annually.

Return of the Abominable Snow-Cat!!

OK, a break from packing orders and getting ready for Trick-r-Treating! Its wet again. The leaves are like fireworks. The dogs are rolling in things they shouldn't. Snowy, the cat, slipped out of the house and had everyone worried for a few days until turning up in a groundhog hole under the back porch. Life stays interesting.

We are happy to say the new website gallery of Charley Harper original works is online. It can be viewed at www.charleyharperart.com.

Mark your calendars for next weekend. The Discover Modernism: The 20th Annual Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL starts Friday, November 6th, and runs through Sunday, November 8th. Please stop by our booth and say hello. Remember, last years calendars sold out and the Tree of Life prints are going fast!

Also mark your calendars to visit us at "Deco the Halls" Art Deco and Modernism show & sale in San Francisco, CA, December 5th & 6th.

Octoberama!

Long time, no blog! Last time the studio posted anything it was still nice and warm and sunny. Where is our Indian Summer? Its chilly and damp here back in the trees surrounding us. Luckily things are so busy it keeps us moving and we don't get much of a chance to get cold. Even Rena, and she's always cold! There's lots to talk about, so let's start with upcoming events.

This weekend Brett Harper will be on-hand to sign copies of the new $49.95 hardcover edition of Todd Oldham's Charley Harper - An Illustrated Life at Books By The Banks this Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Duke Energy Center in downtown Cincinnati, OH. Its a free book festival with lots of activities for all ages as well as lots of new books to peruse, and of course, come get your signed edition of the new Charley Harper book!

Look out for the month of November!

Nov. 6 - 8th, the Charley Harper Art Studio will be featured at the 20th Annual Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL.

Nov 11 - 15th, Hamilton County Park District will be hosting Art in the Parks. Fabulous Frames & Art joins Nature’s Niche Stores in presenting the art of the Harper Family. A wide assortment of uniquely framed and unframed prints will be available to purchase in Ellenwood Nature Barn at Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve.
Nature’s Niche will have a new brass adornment and glass ornament with Charley Harper’s American Goldfinch. Charley Harper designs can also be found in four styles of 2010 calendars, boxed holiday cards, note cards, memory games, jigsaw puzzles, peg and floor puzzles, wrapping paper, counted cross stitch charts, board books for children, jewelry, mugs and other assorted items. Brett Harper will make personal appearances on Saturday and Sunday during show hours. Show hours are Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 11, 13, 14 and 15, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, November 12, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Nov. 12 - 15th, the studio will be at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, in Harlingen, TX.

Nov. 20 - 22nd, we'll be at Glen Helen, in Yellow Springs, OH

Nov. 28th, look for us at Aullwood Audubon Center, in Dayton, OH

And that's just November. There are more shows in December and January. In fact, we're flying south for that winter month and will be in Miami and Palm Springs exhibiting during Cincinnati's colder moments.

Don't think that shows are the only things keeping us from updating this blog as often as we'd like. There is a new catalog being prepared for print. There are new wall murals in the works. Mug designs...and so much more.

Check out the handpainted Charley Harper needlepoint canvases that are currently available through The Purl Bee.






The studio would like to extend a special thank you to Sue and Bill from Wild Birds Unlimited, in Albuquerque, NM, for taking the time to stop in and say hello while they were visiting Ohio. They're big fans of the Harper family's artworks and when you're in Albuquerque, stop by and say hello to them! Tell 'em we sent you!

As promised, here's another title from the vast reference library here at Charley Harper Art Studios. The Sibley Guide to Birds written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley. Talk about a book full of marked pages!! One can tell this National Audubon Society book was a valuable reference for Mr. Harper.

A quick bit of trivia... did you know that Charley Harper's studio used to be his carport? That's right. He had the son of the gentleman that built the house convert the open-air carport into a fully functional enclosed studio!


And finally, please remember, when you're out as goblins and ghouls running amuck for treats, stay out of caves. The bats that live there are hibernating and nobody likes to be woken up from a deep slumber.

If we don't post again before Halloween, carve us up a good pumpkin, leave us out something tasty for the trick-r-treatin' and put on a good scary costume to frighten off bad spirits and we'll see you next time!!

Whew!! It is muggy outside. You would think it was June all over again. It just started raining and you can hear the drops hitting the beech and pawpaw leaves.

Local Cincinnati designer and birdwatcher, Jill Baker, paid the studio a visit yesterday to show off her new leg. Jill had the top of her new prosthesis covered in Charley Harper birds. We had been hearing about this for a couple of months and were glad to have her visit the studio to show it off. Jill said the last thing she would see before surgeries on her leg at Cincinnati Children's Hospital were Charley Harper's bird's that decorated the hospital walls. Wow. Thanks for sharing that with us Jilly! Be sure to say hi to her at some of the bird shows around the country.

OK, time to get back to work and prep for being at SF20, San Francisco's 20th Century Modernism Show and Sale this weekend!

Another Show this weekend!!

Not only are we showing original Charley Harper works in San Francisco's SF20 next weekend, we will also be at the Midwest Bird Symposium, in Lakeside, OH this weekend! We know a bunch of you are bigtime bird watchers, so hopefully you'll stop by the Charley Harper Art Studio booth and say hi to Rena. Be nice to her, please. She makes good things happen here at the studio.
The Symposium runs from September 17th thru the 20th. That's means you shouldn't be reading this!! You should be in Lakeside, OH!!


There are more shows coming up in November and things are hopping here in Cincinnati.
It was even a little bit brisk this morning. Time for your fall gardens. Garlic, cabbage, onions.... bird migrations will be soon. The owl was hooting at us in the middle of the day. Really. he just hangs out around here. That has to be good luck.


Also, check out Jim Hughes great blog piece on Charley Harper and his works in The Golden Book of Biology. Check out the volcano!! Wouldn't that look sweet on your wall? Splashes of volcanic paint smoke blotch blasted in to a glass palette sky. Oily fire fire seperating from a grey liquid crystal smoke billowing in a flow like ice against the black of night's window.. Its not yet for sale, but wouldn't it make a really great print? We here at the studio think so. Thanks, Jim!! You can also follow Jim at Twitter. We do! And he follows us! Woo hoo!!

Original Works to be Shown and Sold

Come visit us next weekend in San Francisco at SF20:
San Francisco 20th Century Modernism Show & Sale

september 24-27, 2009
herbst pavilion at fort mason center

open to the public - show hours
friday & saturday: 11am - 7pm
sunday: noon - 5pm

admission $15 - includes show catalog and re-entry

featuring 50 premier national and international exhibitors presenting decorative and fine arts from all design movements of the 20th century.

Twitter and Pics!!

The pawpaws are getting ripe for picking here. The studio is surrounded by pawpaw trees and we have a pawpaw pie in the fridge with some butter pecan ice cream in the freezer to top it with. Mmmmmmm. Just can't leave it on the counter or one of the cats will have themselves a snack!

As you can see by the title of this blog, the Charley Harper Art Studio has joined the technological revolution and you can now follow all the up-to-date happenings of ours at http://twitter.com/CharleyHarper.

Check out Drake Brodahl's blog and homage to Charley Harper. http://pumml.blogspot.com/2009/08/quail-run.html

And check out the studio's very own Sandy Crouse hanging out with retro hip cool cat artist,Shag, at the Denver Modernism show. Apparently, Shag is a big fan of Charley's, and owns almost all of Charley's fish imagery!! Check out Shag's own work at http://www.shag.com.

And here she is again with Charles Phoenix, the slice-of-Americana slide show man, himself. Wow, those two are a pair. if you stare long enough at both of their outfits together you may begin to realize deeper truths about the universe. Or you'll just go cross-eyed. http://www.charlesphoenix.com/

All in all, Sandy said that the Denver Modernism show was a grand success, with lots of Charley Harper fans stopping by and cleaning out our stop of lithographs and calendars. Thank you all very much. And a special hello to the dog that made off with poor Sandy's breakfast while she was trying to get some work done. Bad dog! But how could anyone stay mad at a face like that? Look at those eyes!

Quilts, Ford Times, and Thursday

We just finished digitizing all the Ford Times articles and images in which Charley was involved with. Keep an eye out here on the blog for digital reprints of those to peruse from time to time. Truly a treausury of great Americana. Articles about ramp eating, singing festival, birds, and much more.

The preview show of the lost Charley Harper Ford Times original pieces closed in August at Fabulous Frames & Art, in Montgomery, OH. Check out a slide show of all the work displayed here. Harpertrove on Squidoo has a really great write-up about the featured works and reactions by the family and studio. Give it a read and leave a comment!

The studio would like to thank Ms. Sharon Phelps for stopping by and showing us her original quilted rendition of "Twoowls". We've had a good number of people ask if quilt patterns of Charley's works are available. The answer to that is the Charley Harper estate does not have licensed quilt patterns available. We encourage you to make your own and share them with each other and us! Send us pictures of your Charley Harper creations! Ms. Phelps says that she would gladly share her own pattern with anyone that is interested. please contact the studio and we will put you in touch with her.

As we encourage you to create your own quilt patterns, Charley Harper cross stitch patterns are available from Pat Rogers' Counted Collection. Charley Harper needlepoint patterns are available from Treglown Designs. Please purchase from these retailers or create your own. There are bootleg versions out there. Even if they are of decent quality, none of the sales of such go to the support of the Charley Harper family and estate.

Now some quick trivia!! Did you know that it was the Ford Times' Art Director, Arthur Lougee, that got Charley to start painting birds?

In an effort to share some behind the scenes of the Charley Harper Art Studio, let's take a moment out of each blog to list a title from the vast reference library here. Today's title is Water, Prey, and Game Birds of North America. This is a National Geographic Society book by Alexander Wetmore loaded with many full color photos and drawings. If you saw the copy here, you would realize what a valuable resource this was and how much it used!

New Print Available!

Hello world!! A limited number of giclee's of Charley Harper's mixed media collage "Tree of Life" are now currently available on the Charley Harper Art Studio website.
These beautiful pieces host a menagerie of wildlife from elephants to oak leaves to earthworms. Just check out the background print of the blog!!
Each giclee is a 21" x 24" image on a 25" x 28" sheet and are studio stamped and numbered. Artist proofs are available.

Excitement!!

Shagtastic!

Blog's been down for a bit. Technology is a fickle thing.

Its been hopping this summer at the studio. The mice have been raiding the birdseed. One jumped right on out of the refill bucket!

The Habitat Skateboard show at the Contemporary Art Center, in Cincinnati, was a fun success! It was something else seeing parents share their memories of Charley Harper's artwork with their kids and then see them boogie down to the DJ in front of the artwork.

Btw, Charley Harper Art Studio has been featured on the English design blog, Delicious Industries. Hope our British friends come see the artwork up close when it shows on the other side of the pond in 2010!


Just got back from a fun time at the Denver Modernism show. First person on the mailing list was Shag! Good stuff!!

More later with pictures!!!!

Charley Harper and Habitat Skateboards

Habitat Skateboards is about to launch an exclusive line of Skatedecks and shoes featuring the art of Charley Harper. We think the line is very, very cool and are more than tickled be to able to invite everyone to the launch party this Friday July 31st at the Contemporary Art Center starting at 7pm.

Get there early because the gift shop will be open until 9pm and will have a selection of Harper prints and gifts available including our very newest giclee, released especially for this event!

Start Time:	Friday, July 31, 2009 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Saturday, August 1, 2009 at 6:00am
Location:	Contemporary Arts Center
Street:	44 East Sixth Street
City/Town:	Cincinnati, OH

Students - $5.50
Adults - $7.50
CAC Members - FREE! Plus Drink Specials!

Harper Trove Online Preview

Everyone has been asking about the new paintings recently "discovered" in the Ford Motor Company art archives. We've finally got a slideshow of the new pieces up on our website. You can check them out here.

2010 Harper Calendars are here!

Last years Charley Harper calendars sold out before even the studio staff could claim a copy. This year Pomegranate promises a larger print run, but we're not taking chances...this year we're all getting our Christmas gift calendars early!

New for this year are three new calendar formats.

The Engagement Calendar...



The Mini Wall Calendar...



and our ABSOLUTE FAVORITE... The Postcard Calendar!!!

The new postcard calendar includes 26 full color perforated Charley Harper postcards that are easily detached and mailed. Images include examples from all periods of Charley's career.

Harper Haute Couture

A few months back the french fashion house Celine unveiled a spring line of resort wear featuring Charley Harper images.

There are some really stunning pieces in the collection which includes everything from T-shirts and bikinis to sequined formal wear as well as Celine's famous line of shoes and handbags. There are only three Celine boutiques in the states, but you can request information about the line at their website http://www.celine.com/en/.

"Flamingoes" 1958

Harper Tote


Charley Harper Clutch
with Harper "Starlings" motif

Celine Harper Pumps
with "Skipping School" motif




Flamingo Beachbag

Lost Harpers Rediscovered

Not long ago we were informed of a lost trove of Charley Harper original paintings commissioned for the Ford Times and Lincoln Mercury Times Magazines. These lost paintings include many of Charley's beloved bird series among many other beautiful works. No one knew the whereabouts of any of the bird or fish originals for Charley's Ford times silkscreen prints. In many instance no one knew that original paintings of some of these were ever made! The discovery of these paintings came as a surprise even to Charley's son Brett. "I felt like I was opening a buried treasure chest that had been locked up for more than 35 years."

The Estate and Studio have already respectfully declined several immediate offers for portions of the priceless collection. Brett believes that as the market begins to understand what the collage originals of birds, fish, and travel series represent—the rarest of the rare—collectors will be stunned.

Brett will be on hand to personally introduce this new collection at an opening at Fabulous Frames and Art, one of our longest standing retailers, from 11 am-5 pm Saturday, July 11th. This local show will run from July 11th through August 8th. From there we hope the collection will continue to travel the country in a series of exhibitions in various cities yet to be determined.

For more information on the collection, contact the studio at 513-522-0545 or by e-mail at CharleyHarperArtStudio@gmail.com.














Show opening July 11 11am-5pm
Show Runs July 11-August 8
Fabulous Frames and Art
10817 Montgomery rd
Cincinnati, OH 45231

Four New Lithographs

Introducing four previously unreleased Charley Harper images...

Pot Belly

Homeward Bound

Neck and Neck

Spoon-fed

These easy to frame, smaller prints range from $25 to $50 and make excellent gifts for Art lovers and Harper fans. Stop by the website for more info!

The World's Largest Beaver

Late last year the studio was approached by the design company Stingray about using Charley's image "Dam Diligent" for a mural in the new shopping center "The Greene" in Beavercreek, OH.

Stingray worked with Brett Harper to ensure that the image was true to his father's work and a source of pride for Beavercreek...We're very pleased with the results.

If you're ever in Beavercreek, swing by The Greene to see Charley Harper's "Dam Diligent" on a grand scale. Its the world's largest beaver!

Water Dog

Charley Harper was constantly creating. With so many pieces its impossible to say where all of them ended up, and every so often we discover one we never knew existed.

We knew that Charley had created a series of dog images for Ford Times magazine. Not long ago we discovered that he had continued the series in the Lincoln Mercury Times magazine as well, with this beautiful "Water Dog".

300 Studio Stamped and Numbered US $200
25 Artist's proofs US $240

Paper Size 19" x 14 5/8"
Image Size 15" x 10 3/4"

Copyright 2009 Estate of Charley Harper

Back to Blogging!

Welcome to the new blog of The Charley Harper Art Studio!

We've been away for a while, but the blog is back and will soon be filled with news about upcoming shows, new print releases, and lots of information about Charley Harper and his art.

Check back soon, there's lots more to come!