Charley Harper was commissioned by the National Park Service to create works of art in his unique style. After personally visiting parks around the country, Charley was inspired to create ten pieces that span the entire breadth of our park system;from the lava flows of Hawaiian Volcanoes to the icebergs of Glacier Bay, Alaska, from the heights of the Rocky Mountains to the depths of the Coral Reef. These works of art reflect the beauty and majesty that abounds in our country's public lands. Join us as we rejoice in the past 100 years and envision the next 100.
Charley Harper (August 4, 1922-June 10, 2007) was a Cincinnati-based American Modernist artist. He was best known for his highly stylized wildlife prints, posters and book illustrations. Born in Frenchtown, West Virginia in 1922, Harper's upbringing on his family farm influenced his work to his last days. He left his farm home to study art at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and won the Academy's first Stephen H. Wilder Traveling Scholarship. During his career, Charles Harper illustrated numerous books, notably The Golden Book of Biology, magazines such as Ford Times, as well as many prints, posters, and other works. As his subjects are namely natural, with birds prominently features, Charley often created works for many nature-based organizations, among them the National Park Service; Cincinnati Zoo;Cincinnati Nature Center; Hamilton County (Ohio) Park District; and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. He also designed interpretive displays for Everglades National Park. Charley Harper passed away on Sunday, June 10th, 2007 after contending with pneumonia for some months. Source:
charleyharperartstudio.com