Book Recommendation – Charley Harper Monograph
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Becky |
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Design Books, Design Press | 2 Comments
I have to admit a bias. Growing up in Cincinnati, as a small child I came to know Charley Harper’s work through the Cincinnati Nature Center Gift Shop, and I’ve loved him ever since. In fact, his work is probably responsible for the excitement I still feel whenever I spot a cardinal. Recently, via Metropolitan Home, it was a kick to see Todd Oldham’s vacation home, with walls lined in Harper prints. Now, Oldham and his hero Harper have written a book, Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life. The price is steep ($200, but currently $126 at amazon), but for Harper fans, the monograph definitely looks to be well worth it. Harper claims that as an artists, he will never be confused with Audobon, but in terms of helping the cause of conservation through artwork, Audobon and Harper have scads in common.
Here are a few favorite images from his commercial work. Now in his 80′s, Harper still keeps way ahead of the times, from having his own MySpace Page (!) to raising awareness about global warming:
Here are just a few more of some of my favorite Harper images. To buy the posters shown, (they are all around $30-40), visit fabulousframes.com.
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May 30th, 2007 at 3:42 pm (#)
I found Harper thru that Met Home article and bought “Beguiled By The Wild” because I couldn’t wait for Oldham’s book. I love his style – so modern and simple but it perfectly captures the personality of his subjects. I think I’ll put Todd’s book on my Christmas wishlist.
August 9th, 2008 at 8:20 am (#)
There’s another Charley Harper book that’s recently been reprinted — Birds & Words, which pairs his bird illustrations with his funny, punny captions. There is also a new ABC book that collects his various images in the familiar ABC format.