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Artist: Brooke HarkerTitle: Venice Walk 2 Size: 36" x 24"
Medium: Mixed Media-acrylic, Japanese ink & oil on canvas Presentation: Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Description: "Venice Walk 2" is a studio version of a sketch I made outside the
former VOCA Gallery as I waited for my collection of bicycle paintings
to hang. A colorful array of locals and tourists buzzed alongside a
sprawl of tents and umbrellas...buying, selling, riding, smoking,
panhandling, shopping, painting, ranting and being. The duality of
Venice is that it is both vibrant and dark, joyed and pained. Although
it is a fabulous spot for people watching, the energy of the boardwalk
can be a bit overwhelming to me. Yet, trying to capture the flair of a
culture so different from where I come from kept me painting. The images
within this work do not come from a static frame but were compiled of
random passersby within the time I sketched. Contact us for more information at 1-888-9-FINEART or contact the artist at brooke@brookeharker.com
Brooke's work is on display at Gallery 104 in San Clemente.
Contact us for more information at 1-888-9-FINEART or contact the artist at brooke@brookeharker.com
Artist Information
| Website: | www.brookeharker.com
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| | Facebook: | www.facebook.com/pages/Brooke-Harker-Paintings |
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| | Biography: | Brooke
Harker creates vivid images with oils on canvas in a variety of styles,
from color abstractions to recognizable images and detailed portraits.
Her paintings draw inspiration from extensive work with children and
youth around the world, from her native home of Iowa to Japan, China,
Italy, Germany and LA. Now based in the San Fernando Valley, she
continues to explore sharing her energy on canvas and paper. The spirit
of play found in Brooke's paintings, reflect a nature dedicated to
inspiring children and encouraging adults to love the children within
themselves. She currently shows in galleries, alternative spaces and
charitable events benefiting children in need. Her work lives in various
locations in the US, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
| | Statement: |
My paintings are inspired by different time periods in my life. Being
witnesses to the experiences that shape me, strokes and images are like
journal entries. Some are made in an hour, while other paintings compile
pieces over years. Recently I have come to understand that the process
of painting feels like a meditation, and is my opportunity to connect to
a power greater than myself. It is said that the world becomes a better
place when each person connects to their joy, so I paint because I feel
free and full of love. I believe that the key ingredient in art is
love. There is no "fixing" that solves a composition in my eyes. It is
adding love and energy that makes a piece work. Yet every work does not
have to be a masterpiece. The experience of creating is the best part of
the journey. I stand and paint in an outdoor studio that feels like a
garden where fairies live. As a tree has grown to a shade canopy
covering most of my patio. Recent work takes flight on the other side of
my fence in the sunshine. Passing neighbors and strangers stop to tell
me about their lives, visit me with their dogs, ask questions and once a
man told me that if I planned a painting in Photoshop first I would
know what I was doing. I laughed at the thought of me attempting to use
my least developed trait, logic. I tend to meet random people when I
sketch or paint on location who stop to tell me about their lives. I
take this as a compliment. Their stories become part of the artwork and
entertain me. I believe that every work of art, if listened to, tells
its own story.and continues on its own journey after it leaves my hands.
My most recent works blend the energy from on location sketching with
studio work on canvas utilizing drippy acrylic washes, Japanese ink and
thick oil strokes made with a palette knife depicting abstractions of
cityscapes. I am drawn to finding beauty in repetitive shapes of urban
landscape and the life that passes through each frame. In past
collections, I have fallen in love with bicycles, umbrellas, or making
sense of colors layered colors upon each other like pieces of a quilted
puzzle. Regardless of the form the paintings take, the intention remains
the same: to be present in the moment the brush hits the canvas, learn
along the way, and feel love. |
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| | Exhibitions: | Currently
showing 9 works at Sarazin Salon in Sherman Oaks. 2011 20 Paintings at
Sababa Restaurant & Lounge, Long Beach, CA, solo show; "2nd Annual
Thirst Gala," fundraiser for the The Thirst Project, Los Angeles,CA "The
Sound of the Balkans 2nd Annual Fundraising Concert & Silent
Auction," raising funds for The Bosana Foundation Barnstall Gallery
Theatre, Hollywood,CA "Get Art4LA," fundraiser for Project Angel Food
Siren Studios, Hollywood, CA "Turning Art into Hope: An Evening for
Japan" presented by The Art Spotter at Left Coast Galleries, Group Art
Auction for Mercy Corps The Water Gallery, Venice CA "Bicycle Stories,"
solo show 2010 Season 8 of Hell's Kitchen on FOX, featuring "Winter
City" & "Orange City" California Studio Root 66, Highland Park, CA,
solo show Qusqo Bistro & Gallery,Los Angeles, CA, solo show The
Happening Gallery, Marina del Rey, CA, group show VOCA Gallery, Venice,
CA featured in group show "Bike Art V," Altered Esthetics, Minneapolis,
MN, group show Paintings from "Quilted Cities," Fritto Misto, Santa
Monica, CA, solo show "Paintings from the Collections of Brooke Harker,"
Stanleys, Sherman Oaks, CA solo show 2009 "100 under 100," Catalyst
Artist Collective, LA "Umbrella Stories," M Street Coffee and Photoflow
Gallery, Sherman Oaks, CA, solo show. "It Takes A Village,"
ACFCLA-Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Hollywood, CA, group show. "Ego
Armagedon," L.A. Art @ Golden Bridge, Hollywood, CA, group show. 2008
"Telling Stories with Color," The Eclectic, North Hollywood, CA, solo
show. "Infinity Ate," Sponto Gallery, Venice, CA, group show. "Noho
Scene," street festival, North Hollywood, CA, solo booth display.
"Fool's Fest," Sponto Gallery, Venice, CA, group show. 2007 "Art
International," NoHo Gallery LA, N. Hollywood, group show, curated by
Dan Debevoise. "Abstract Oil Paintings by Brooke Harker," Coffee Fix,
Studio City, CA, solo show. Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, select
pieces through Noho Gallery LA "Noho Arts Fest," street festival, North
Hollywood, CA, select pieces "Oils on Canvas by Brooke Harker,"
Bourgeois Pig, Hollywood, CA, solo show. 2005 "Colorful Place," Follow
Your Heart, Canoga Park, CA, solo show. 2004 "Tom Pergola Art Festival,"
Tarzana, CA, solo booth. 2003 "Art and Opera," ACTORS, Ames, IA, solo
show. Fundraisers/Non-Profit/Charity: 2010 "Global Art Exhibit:Art &
Action" POP/LOCK Gallery, Los Angeles, group show donation to Los
Angeles bicycle coalition fundraiser 2009 painting raffle from "Umbrella
Stories," portion of proceeds raised went to The Painted Turtle. St.
Fransis Silent Auction, donated original 2008 St. Francis dinner
fundraiser @ The Noho Lofts, solo show. Bicycle paintings hung to honor
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Noho Gallery LA |
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