Obey and 20th Century Cincy

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!!

This weekend was tremendous and Monday is really doing its best to try and come off strong. Friday night found us downtown attempting to go to long-time Charley Harper Art Studio supporter, the Contemporary Art Center, for the Shepard Fairey opening. The thing is, as we get older, we don't quite find ourselves needing to make "the scene" and not to mention, it takes a bit longer to get out the door. By the time we got to downtown Cincinnati there was a line all the way around the block. So, rather than stand around in the chill, we walked up the street and enjoyed a steamed bagel sandwich at Gilpins Bagel & Deli. Excellent sandwich, mediocre service. Never made it into the CAC. It looked like fun. Lots of young people dancing and enjoying the time. Most of our readers are probably familiar with Fairey's Obama poster with the words "HOPE". Well, this young whippersnapper has been making all sorts of artwork for quite sometime borrowing from Russian Constructivism and the visage on the late great pro-wrestler, Andre the Giant. "Andre the Giant Has a Posse". You can see some of his latest graphic mural work adorning select walls throughout Cincinnati, currently. Our only real criticism - put them up higher so the younger kids have room to practice on a blank wall instead of a on top a nice mural. That's all.
We finished that evening off listening to delightful young musical group from Columbus called Saint Seneca. Not sure what to call the sound, some of it was overly dramatic coffee-house angst, but most of it was upbeat, driven acoustic spiritualistic folk. Kudos to the young folks over at the Bike Haus for allowing opening us up to good energy.

Now its Monday, and we have the upcoming 15th Annual 20th Century Cincinnati show this weekend that we are preparing for as well as our show at Castor and Pollux in Brighton, UK.
"20th Century Cincinnati is the Queen City's annual retrospective of the forward looking design trends introduced between the First World War and the Computer Age. Quiet evolutions and clamorous revolutions in the arts, architecture, furnishings, decor and fashion worlds..... Art Deco, Streamline, Futuristic, Mid-Century Modern and Op/Pop.....the century's classic forms - many from the century's signature designers - all will fill the floor when 20th Century Cincinnati returns to the Sharonville Convention Center on the weekend of February 27-28, 2010." Stop by and say hi.

What a Smile!

If you don't know Eleanor Grosch, maybe you should. She's a Philadelphia based designer who works in our favorite fashion - MINIMALISM!!! YAYYYY!!! But seriously, Eleanor is a big fan of the Harpers, and bless her heart, she sent the studio some of her personal prints last year. We think she does fabulous stuff over there at Push Me Pull You Design. We think her Keds shoes are perfect for wearing around our own studio. 7 and a half, Eleanor!! Just kidding. What about men's? She's got great slip-ons for wearing around the house. Size 10, also, Eleanor! We recommend taking the time to peruse her portfolio gallery and the about section of her website. She'll be speaking at How Design Conference 2010 in Denver, CO. Maybe we'll see you there. Ps. Thank you, Eleanor, for your kind words about Edie. It means a lot.

We did promise you a bit about the Ladybug Coalition. Back in 1996 Ranger Rick magazine ran a great piece on Charley and his ladybug artwork. Those little red critturs were a personal favorite of his. "Enchanted", as he put it. So much so, that it became the Harper family symbol! Want to know more? Stay tuned!

Excitement!

Bored? Snowed in with nothing to do but watch TV and twiddle your thumbs? Baked 5 loaves of bread, made 3 pots of soup, and 2 lasagnas, and have no intention of setting foot in the kitchen for 2 weeks? Need something new, yet familiar and comforting in your life? Something to engage the whole room? Eye-hand coordination practice? Memory upkeep? Invite others to brave the elements to share in the love that came out the oven? Well, Pomegranate Publishing how's come through with a whole new group of Harper products and boy, do they look swell!!

There are jigsaw puzzles of the some of Charley's National Parks posters. A really cute pocket journal with Limp on Limb on it. Some very nicely designed invitation cards with Darwin's Finches. And even Ladybugs Mating was turned into a notepad. Everything can be viewed in the "Other Items" section of www.charleyharperartstudio.com.

Snowed In or Snowy Owl?

Ahhh... more snow. Could it get much better? Almost everything was closed down today after Cincinnati received a few inches of wintry blanketing. Almost. The Charley Harper Art Studio was active. Brett was snowed in, but Rena was able to plow through to make sure the cat's were ok and ongoing business was not falling behind. What a trooper! Next time you see her, tell her how much you appreciate all the hard work she puts in to make sure the Harper legacy is sprinkled upon the world like the soft downy feathers falling from the breast of a great horned owl hunting mice.
What started as big fluffy flakes are now fine crystals blown about by a Jack Frost gale. Wonderful weather to curl up in a warm nest rather than trying to forage beneath the firs for nuts and seeds. Or in the case of all the wildlife around the studio, taking turns at the fully stocked feeders. Its a great day for going out and identifying and following animal tracks. A great place to go find out about backyard wildlife and how to help them through these months would be Wild Bird Centers of America. You may even see some of the artwork of Charley and Edie Harper while you are in there!
Remember, once you start, those cute little creatures will need your continued dedication to help them through the year!

Winter's End?

The groundhog both saw and didn't see its shadow the other day. There are flowers poking up out of the bed of leaves on the ground and we're looking at a possible snow storm tomorrow. So close to spring, maybe winter will go out with a bang. Funny how we like to talk about the weather when we're not sure what to say. The loss of Edie is still running deep here. Pushing forward and putting the studio's energy to new products and business is helping. Little things make a difference, too. All the support and condolenses, chocolate, and believe or not, a good gyro.
We went up to Athena Foods on Winton Rd yesterday, after hearing that they now made gyros and WOW!! Just the smells alone were like walking into a little slice of paradise. And the meat - great flavor and not greasy. Little things... little things. ITs always nice to go someplace and talk with someone who has a true love of food.

The studio's new product line from Pomegranite Communications will be online at charleyharperartstudio.com after Monday. Pomegranite's design team seemed to have a lot of fun coming up with the new stuff. Check out the Darwin's Finches invitation cards and the Limp on a Limb journal notebook. There also seems to be a leaning towards a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle series based on the National Parks posters Charley produced. Glacier Bay and the Rocky Mountains will be available next week on our site. Stay tuned.

Coming soon....The "Ladybug Coalition"

Edie Harper In Memoriam

Edith Riley McKee was an only child born in 1922 in Kansas City, Kansas. A dreamy child, she moved with her parents to Liberty, Missouri, when her father chose to open a short-order restaurant. On trips to see relatives on their farms and small ranches in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, she developed a lifelong love for animals and the vast, lonely expanses of the Middle West.

The family moved again, to Cincinnati, in the 1930s when Edie’s father landed a position with Procter & Gamble. They lived in an apartment on Springfield Pike while Edie attended Wyoming High School (graduating in 1939), all the while creating art at a level beyond her actual years. The desire for formal art training burned in her heart. So in 1940 the respected Art Academy of Cincinnati welcomed Edie as one of its most eager new admissions.

On the first day of the program, on the steps of the administration building, Edie met an equally earnest young man from West Virginia, Charley Harper. In classes and conversations, she learned that he shared her admiration of painters such as Miro and Klee. They studied printmaking with the Stampers and were fortunate enough to spend a semester with legendary Josef Albers, visiting to teach his Color Theory course. For several years afterwards Albers sent Edie his hand-screened Christmas cards.

When Charley was drafted for service in World War II, Edie interrupted her classes to aid the war effort in a civilian capacity. She photographed hydro dams and cement test samples and processed the film in the lab for the Corps of Engineers. Later, she would receive critical acclaim for the black and white photographs she took with her 8 x 10 camera employing her own imaginative subject matter. This resulted in an exhibition at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center.

Soon after the war, Edie and Charley resumed their studies at the Academy. Following graduation in 1947, they embarked on a six-month camping honeymoon throughout America. Edie kept an illustrated journal. Every day they sketched and painted, occasionally the same natural setting, and compared the results.

Upon their return from the honeymoon, Edie and Charley maintained separate studios in the basement of Edie’s parents’ home in Roselawn. The young couple helped care for Edie’s father, who had multiple sclerosis, and were able to save Charley’s earnings from his day job at Schaten Studio. In 1953 Edie gave birth to their son, Brett, named after California photographer Brett Weston. Throughout the 1950s Edie continued painting, supplemented by a rich output of jewelry, contemporary photography, enameling, sculpture, and silkscreen prints.

In the 1960s Edie added weaving to the roster of media she had mastered. During this decade she converted to acrylic paint and completed a series of grid-centric images. Toward the end of the 1960s, Edie returned to explore an early, just-hinted-at interest in the design possibilities provided by stories from the Bible.



Thompson Hall Jordan Funeral Home will be handling details.

Reverend Sharon K. Dittmar of First Unitarian Church will preside over the service.

Wednesday January 27, 2010

Visitation 12:00

Funeral Service 1:00

Location: Spring Grove Cemetery

4521 Spring Grove Ave.

Flowers may be sent to the chapel at Spring Grove Cemetery

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.