Introducing the art of Howard Harris (Interview)

HOWARD HARRIS

DESTIG TORONTO - ART | DESIGN | TRAVEL - ISSUE 09 / JANUARY 2021

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"HOW MARVELOUS THAT THEY BROUGHT FORTH SUCH MAGNIFICIENCE FROM THEIR BRUSHES AND CHISELS." - ANONYMOUS

"In any given moment, what we see reflects both our inner state and a synthesis of outer qualities—light, color, movement, space.

My exploration in dimensional photographic art represents an attempt to recreate the perceptual experience, with its dynamic nature and hidden complexities. Hopefully, each of my images can allow for as many interpretations as there are people viewing it."

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Howard Harris is a fine art photographer who is

10 years old. I only have two vivid memories of that class.

known for his dimensional, multi-layered images.

One was that the class was held in an “artist” style loft

The Denver Colorado native earned a Bachelor of

(very cool) and the other was the teacher laughing at me

Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in

when I drew a fox with a tail that looked like it exploded

Missouri and Master of Industrial Design from Pratt

out of the fox’s rear end. For some reason that failure just

in New York. His images appear in many books and

inspired me to refine my aspirations and pursue following

publications. He shows in galleries in the US, UK and

my intuition and imagination.

throughout Europe.

You capture a moment in time and work to expand on Why did you become an artist?

that moment. Share some insight into your process.

I don’t think I became an artist, I was born to be an

I use a digital single frame camera to capture the base

artist. I can’t think of a time when art was not part of

image I use to save the moment. Since my camera can only

my life. From as early as I can remember art of some

capture the image at shutter speeds, I try to internalize

type-painting, sculpture, photography, theater, etc.

the full dimensionality of the moment.

has always been around me. It is only a foggy memory,

The image becomes my note of reference for the memory

but I took my first formal drawing class when I was 8-

that caused me to shoot the image. Then I use various

"The discipline of accepting critique as a complement pushes me to pursue greater levels of refinement, helps me to understand how others perceive my art, and drives me to explore new territories."

technologies to isolate and evaluate the

imagination. Studying industrial design

color, line, and form. I then exaggerate or

has given me the ability to create and

morph the image into a symphony of

develop concepts and specifications that

color, shapes, and forms that hopefully

optimize function, value, and appearance

express a sense of time, space, point of

of products and systems. It has given me

view and my emotions.

the

methodologies

to

combine

art,

business, and engineering to create a You described your work as "combining

pleasing

technology and aesthetics". Why are

combination that continually energizes

aesthetics a key factor in your art?

my thoughts and actions. The discipline of

The word "aesthetics" derives from the

accepting critique as a complement

Greek "aisthetikos", meaning "of sense

pushes me to pursue greater levels of

perception.”

In

one

refinement, helps me to understand how

successfully

combines

tangible

others perceive my art, and drives me to

(technology)

short

with

when the

the

intangible

product.

And

it

is

this

explore new territories.

(aesthetics) it becomes transcendent.

To experience its fullest impact, your Your professional career background

work is best viewed in person. What

was in industrial design. How has this

factors influence this?

background contributed to your art ?

We live in a three-dimensional world and

The study of industrial design gave me

use our eyes to process an image through

the range of tools to go beyond my own

the advantage of stereoscopic vision to

transmit the image to our brain. What most of us do not realize is that stereoscopic vision relies on the physical properties of parallax to decode what we are seeing. When you add lighting, emotions, and environment - it is only then when one has the full experience of the image. I apologize for the somewhat technical explanation, but it is necessary to know why viewing my two-dimensional images online gives one a completely different experience than viewing art in person. When viewing online, color is determined by variables such as monitor quality and the individual computer’s color settings. That is why the foundation of my “dimensional” art must be an aesthetically pleasing image that could stand on its own merits both online and in person. Adding dimension to my images hopefully triggers a deeper visual/emotional response when viewed in person.

In 2017 you received a USA Patent for a Layered Artwork. Please tell us about this.

When I first presented my work to the public, I received many comments such as: “I’ve never seen anything like this before!” and “How did you do it?” These types of comments helped me acknowledge that my work may be notably unique. Then, during an art festival, I showed alongside a photographer who was also an attorney and kept telling me that I should patent my photographic constructions. Many of his attorney friends also told me I should patent my work. That got me thinking as a marketer that a patent might give me a sales edge.

Although I had gone through the patent process years earlier with another of my inventions, I had no real expectations that art could be patented. I talked to many patent attorneys that advised me against wasting my time and money until I found one that understood the uniqueness of my process. After three years, thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours: the US Patent Office found my work unique enough to be granted a patent!

In a relatively short art career, you have received some major recognitions. Tell us about some of them and how have they impacted you.

I knew my work was unique because of the many comments I received from viewers and galleries. But honestly, I was surprised that my work has been recognized in the way it has been – receiving the accolades of critics and honored with so many awards. Appearing on the covers of books and magazines and receiving many American and European awards is very gratifying.

However, I can’t single out any one award as being more important than any other. All of these honors and awards have had an impact on my art, and they have given me confidence in myself and work. However, each accolade, award, or recognition really comes as a surprise because my primary goal is not to please others. My real goal it is to please myself.

"I was surprised that my work has been recognized in the way it has."

"The work reflects my inner “state du jour.”

You stated that "visual reality is an ever-shifting, highly

How has your practice changed over time?

individualized experience - based on inner and outer

My artwork has progressed through several stages

states". How do you accommodate for a range of inner

throughout my adventure as an artist. The first stages of

states in viewers when creating your work?

my work were mostly technology-based, using the

I really do not accommodate anyone else’s inner states

camera, with what one would consider a “good eye.”

because it is hard enough to accommodate my own. The

(Meaning I did what I did somewhat unconsciously.) The

work reflects my inner “state du jour.”

“art” or image just happened because I understood

However, with that said, I do understand that everyone’s

technology and was lucky with subject, composition, etc.

else’s visual reality and inner state is an ever-shifting

The second stage of my work began in the early 70’s at

experience too. In any given moment, what we see

the Kansas City Art Institute. It was there I began to

reflects both our inner state and a synthesis of outer

understand that mastering technology was just part of

qualities—light, color, movement, space. My exploration

the “art” equation. Going through their foundational

in dimensional photographic art represents an attempt to

program helped me realize that intuition and a good eye

recreate the perceptual experience, with its dynamic

were great, but without the discipline of deliberateness

nature and hidden complexities. Hopefully, each of my

all my art would continue to be either lucky or random. It

images can allow for as many interpretations as there are

was there that I became a deliberate artist, able to

people viewing it.

control my actions and images. The third stage also

happened at the Kansas City Art Institute, where I used

were not enough. One also needs the understanding of

my artistic talents to pursue design. The quest to create

self, vision, emotion and surprise to create either good

for others (as a designer) overpowered my desire to

design or good art. There need not be a difference

create art for myself (as a fine artist). My technological

between design and art. Yes, they can exist separately

skills improved not only with the mechanics of creating

but when they come together it is “nirvana”.

images, but the mechanics of my thought also

The fifth stage really lasted from the early 70’s through

improved. It was at the Art Institute where I began to

2011. I became part of a 5-person company that I grew

understand, through my mentor George Burris, how

to over 160 people based on the concept of merging

connected all the arts were with everything in nature,

technology with design with the end goal to make it art.

science, mathematics, and the rest of the world. It is

Honestly, 95% of what we created I would classify as

with this seed of understanding that I began my quest

design. But he 5% that could be considered “art” helped

to try to really understand and define the connections.

the entire company keep going with the knowledge that

The fourth stage of my art happened when I went to

art was possible in a very commercial setting.

Pratt Institute to study under Rowena Reed Kostellow.

In the sixth stage of my quest to create fine art, I have

By this time, I was clearly on the design track, not the

come to realize that up until now I have really worked

fine art track, and wanted to learn Industrial Design

as a designer- not an artist. During this stage I

from one of the founders of that profession. It was

experimented with different types of images, different

Rowena

technologies and different artistic thought. One might

that

helped

me

discover

that

the

understanding of technology of machine and thought

say I was struggling to suppress my marketing design

instincts and accentuate my own thoughts. Self critique is so much harder than critique by others, however to transition from designer to fine art I realized I must develop and practice a strong sense of self critique. The seventh stage of my development takes the learning from the sixth stage and adding color to my thought. My images reflect my vision. I use design as a basis for the image composition and augment the vision with color, line, and volume. Light and color have become more important elements in defining my images.

Which artists are you most influenced by?

The short answer to this question is: “pretty much all artists who work in multiple versions of the arts and use multi-disciplinary techniques to push the edges of perception.” The longer answer to this question is: “I am inspired by so many in the arts world.” Here are a few that I admire and am inspired by: Rowena Reed Kostellow, Julian Stanczak, Moholy-Nagy, Bridget Riley, Josef Albers, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Victor Vasarely, Yacov Agam, Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Clyfford Still, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Marcel Duchamp, Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti and Constantin Brancusi. I thought I would stop here with the arts world. From the photographic world (understanding many do and have done more than photography) I admire Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Diane Arbus, Edward Weston, Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. From the architectural/design world (yes, most did more than just architecture) Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, and Ray Eames. I could go on and on naming sculptors, philosophers, and physicists but, I think you get the wide variety of people that have influenced my vision, aesthetics, and technology.

How does Eastern philosophy influence your art?

This question demands a clarification as to what I feel Eastern philosophy means vs. Western philosophy. I feel that Eastern philosophy takes more of a spiritual approach to life while Western philosophy is more mechanistic in its approach. Rather than calling either one a “philosophy” - I prefer calling it Eastern or Western thought. My work synthesizes Eastern and Western concepts into a tapestry of thought that helps me begin to understand the world. And coming from a clearly Western point of view, Eastern thought has

"My work synthesizes Eastern and Western concepts into a tapestry of thought that helps me begin to understand the world."

given me permission to go beyond the definable. For example, Western thought affirms that 1+1 always equals 2. Eastern thought allows for this simple equation to equal something different depending on exactly what each “1” represents. String theory, chaos theory, quantum physics, and fluid dynamics help me try to Westernize my Eastern thought. However, those studies only give me shadows of what Eastern thought may be doing inside me…

"I chose to live with challenges because I know no other way."

You have spoken abut the role that your professor

You have excelled in two worlds (industrial design and

Rowena Reed Kostellow played in your career. Please

photographic arts). What drives you to keep exploring?

share more insight into this.

Life without a challenge is just existing. I chose to live with

Rowena’s teaching approach drew on modern scientific

challenges because I know no other way. Just existing is as

methods that supported self-expression as well as design

boring as creating that which is safe and known. My quest

for industry. I can’t explain this better than Gail Hannah

to create a color that I have never seen or a shape that

did in her book about Rowena, “it is impossible to

never existed - and to make it beautiful-keeps me going

reproduce the experience of being and working in her

and alive. Knowing that my first mark on a canvas is equal

classroom. And the essence of Rowena Reed’s teaching

to a Picasso or Miro keeps me going. It is what I do after

was the experience itself. In fact, she called the exercises

that mark is challenging. My quest to find the hidden

in her courses “experiences” because they led students to

complexities of nature and understand the dynamics of

insight through intense, in-the-moment concentration,

human perception gives me an infinite palette of

discovery, and revelation. They were powerful, personal

abstractions to explore. Arshile Gorky said, “Abstraction

epiphanies that finally defy description”. She also taught

allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see

me that beauty was a mystery to be solved. Her principals

physically with his eyes... Abstract art enables the artist to

and methods are forever imprinted on my work, including

perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of

my independent work with her. We had an agreement that

the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an

I would teach her computers and she would teach me

exploration into unknown areas.” I will continue my quest

design. The quest to attain beauty was her design goal, and

into the unknown with the hope that whatever I strive to

mine was translating beauty through computing. Having a

create will be aesthetically pleasing, and forever changing.

greater understanding of computer technology in the 1970’s led to her believe as do I, (to this day!) that the

You have described travelling as a particular source of

computer can define and create everything correctly and

inspiration. Which destinations have been most inspiring

the product can still be ugly. Our studies led her to include

and where do you want to visit post-COVID?

in her teachings a caution against using the computer to

I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to so many

do things that she believed only the human eye and hand

destinations throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East,

could do. Even though Rowena didn’t think of her

Australia, and the US. Each different location was equally

thoughts as being Eastern in nature, my desire to further

inspiring in different ways.

understand these emotional perceptual concepts led me to study Eastern philosophies.

Website: www.hharrisphoto.com 117