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The Art of Charley Harper
Cincinnati wildlife artist Charley Harper passed away on Sunday, June 10, 2007.
Charley was born in West Virginia in 1922. He graduated from, and taught art at, the Art Academy of Cincinnati where he met wife, Edie,
also an artist. The two married in 1947 after graduating.
In the 1950's Harper gained acclaim as a commercial illustrator with "The Golden Book of Biology" and "Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two
cookbook." Over the ensuing two decades he contributed to the Ford Motor Company's magazine, Ford Times. The response to this work was so positive, it led to his silkscreen print business reproducing those images. Charley's paintings have appeared in nature-oriented
magazines and on posters for many conservation-minded organizations, among them the National Park Service, Cincinnati Zoo,
Cincinnati Nature Center, Hamilton County (Ohio) Park District, the Michigan Audubon Society, and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. Besides "The Golden Book of Biology" he has
illustrated "The Animal Kingdom", Birds & Words"; and "Beguiled by the Wild; The Art of Charley Harper."
Charley has designed over 50 "bio" posters for non-profit conservation groups, nature centers and zoos, United States national
parks and monuments, and international wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere preserves. One of the first federally commissioned posters
was the ecology of Glacier Bay National Park in the 1960's. He also designed interpretive displays for Everglades National Park. He had
produced more than 100 limited-edition silk-screen prints.
Charles Harper
• It began in a small town in central West Virginia, the town of Frenchton, where I was born in 1922 and, at a tender age, fell out of a second story window onto a tree stump. I emerged apparently whole from this experience, and it was not until several years later that my parents began to ask themselves if I had indeed escaped unscathed: I announced that I wanted to become an artist
BooksFeaturing the Art of Charley Harper
BEGUILED BY THE WILD
A fantastic coffe-table style book representing over 125 plates. These images span Charley Harper's 60-year illustrious career. Mammals, Birds, Insects and other subjects grace the pages of this chronicle of
Charley's life work. Humorous word-play captions or puns accompany each image lending a glimpse into
the fascinating world of nature in a humorous fashion.
Games & Other ItemsFeaturing the Art of Charley Harper
Stationery & CalendarsFeaturing the Art of Charley Harper
2010 Charley Harper Engagement Calendar
In a style he called "minimal realism", Charley Harper captured the essence of his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements. In 2003, the Sharonville Fine Arts Council awarded Harper a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Member
• Sania #29
• Oak #30
