i cannot believe i only discovered Charley Harper last year. where have i been?! i thought i'd discovered a new genius...but no. he was born in 1922 and produced an amazing body of work from the 40's right to the new millennium. and there is a book out there that captures all these years across a whole 400 pages - 'Charley Harper - An Illustrated Life'.
i love his use of simple geometric shapes to create quite intricate scenes. he called his style 'minimal realism' and described it as:
" when i look at a wildlife or nature subject, i don’t see the feathers in the wings, i just count the wings. i see exciting shapes, colour combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behaviour and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures... i don't try to put everything in, i try to leave everything out "i like this way of thinking. i shall adapt this to my work. less is more.
* you can buy the mini edition book here on amazon for only £13! there's also the full size (it's enormous and weighs a tonne. oh and it costs about £200, although i did find it in Liberty for £70)
* and here's a shop full of Charley's stunning artwork (OMGoodness you can buy everything - jewellery, tiles, puzzles...!)
