Today we’d like to introduce you to Conley Harris.
Conley, can you please briefly walk us through your story.
As a painter I work very hard. It’s private and highly solitary work. And when the day is done, I enjoy my glass of wine and light dinner whether dining out in a fun restaurant or up in my roof garden.
I create paintings in various modes which reference pure landscape, our earth.
I curate and design thematic exhibitions in my handsome South End studio: Pop-Ups at 1140 where I’ve featured over 50 Greater Boston area painters/drawers.
As a world traveler from Berlin, Istanbul, Tokyo, to Scandinavia , etc., but especially to Britain and India.
My heart often sits somewhere in Japan next to artist friends there.
I’m very committed to classical music, jazz, Indian Raga. I support Boston Chamber Music Society, Chameleon Arts in Boston and Santa Fe Opera Festival in Santa Fe NM.
And I certainly used to go out to the clubs and dance away. …that’s over!
In parallel time I had a second career to my studio painting in fashion as designer/creator of woman’s stole wraps, 1997-2009 for Bergdorff Goodman NYC, Takashimaya NYC, Athalie Ltd. , Tokyo.
I’m a collector of Contemporary art as well as historical photographs and textiles from India.
In 2013 I created the Howard Truelove Fund to support South Asian Indian Art at both Harvard Art Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Art. I’m a supporter the Indian Art division, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Please tell us about your art. What do you do / make / create? How? Why? What’s the message or inspiration, what do you hope people take away from it? What should we know about your artwork?
My studio practice evolves largely out of direct observation/my photographs/ and sometimes pursuing abstract constructs tied to unique body of paintings in 2017. Sensuous and ravishing color and forms often set provocative stillness.
I’ve never been one narrow down my pursuits to one compelling visual language. I’ve always been interested in a wide scope of modalities. This largely stems from all the art history studied in my teens,…from Rubens to DeKooning with their many points of view.
At the early age of 10 my parents enrolled me in a Saturday afternoon figure drawing class. I was very shy, but was drawing all the time. I think my parents were thinking more of “socializing” me. This figure drawing class over 8 years became a way of life in our home. I became a very accomplished drawer. …something I couldn’t even share with my school class mates due to all the nudity! So the unique and sometimes secretive life of identifying as an artist had begun. I stared oil painting at 13. All this was in Wichita KS at the Art Association School. (see this school as described by alum painter David Salle https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/t-magazine/art/david-salle-wichita-kansas.html )
My drawing abilities opened many doors. My BFA (Univ of Kansas, Lawrence) and MFA in Madison Wisc. was largely on Scholarship. My parents were nervous… What and how could I make a living?
To support myself beyond scholarships I illustrated two text books and a Madison retail store asked me to create stylish clothing illustrations. I was asked to teach Basic Drawing to freshman. (And all this in the 60’s if you know your social history of campus unrest and war protests.) In my final year of MFA and somewhat outside University regulations, I taught Advanced Drawing full time.
Simultaneously, Theater set design had caught my imagination. Previously at Univ. of Kansas as undergraduate I created sets for two productions. Now in Madison and working with the Opera Dept., I created the sets for comedic “Dr. Miracle” of Bizet. When still back at KU I’d made a valuable connection profoundly changing my life. Through that friendship the Santa Fe Opera Festival learned of my scene painting abilities. The SFO hired me to finish painting fantastical sets for a Ravel opera.
I was TRULY dazzled by the Santa Fe Opera company, it international designers, international and American singers, orchestra and stage directors. I was 21. I worked for SFO for the next seven summer seasons a Chief Scene Painter. This job experience surrounded by high reaching artistic creation, discipline and professionalism guided me toward a firm studio painting work ethic. Theater scene painting could have become my profession but I was committed to painting.
In ’69-70 Boston University School of Fine Arts invited me to teach second year drawing where I had some terrific students. In ’70 I became a professor of painting/ drawing at University of New Hampshire, Durham. Stayed for 18 years,..and took numerous leaves- of- absence for needed studio isolation and traveling in Europe. I was exhibiting in galleries in Boston, Houston and New York City. I was selling paintings and decided to take that risky leap and depart UNH.
Following years were rich as I pursued my landscape paintings and exhibiting them at Monique Knowlton Gallery,New York City; Barridoff Galleries, Portland ME and Thomas Segal, Boston MA.
Best of all, the 1980’s I met Howard. We lived a full life as a couple for 32 years until his early passing from cancer in 2012. Howard was a distinguished architectural Interiors Designer. Together we shared many points of view about world travel, painting, architecture, museums, food and fashion.
In an unexpected twist of fate, I was asked to work alongside and learn from the distinguished Yasuko, a silk painter originally from Kyoto Japan who I had met while teaching for Art New England at Bennington College. Shortly after I initiated a business of creating women’s luxurious hand painted silk shawl wraps. Shawls were sold by Charles Summer ,Boston; Bergdorf Goodman NYC and then Takashimaya NYC.
For the Tokyo boutique Athalie Ltd I created 3 collections of stoles per year for 11 years. Howard and I traveled to Japan over 7 trips seeing its oldest Buddhist shrines to its newest glass skyscrapers.
In 2000 Howard and I discovered INDIA. (I had been there once in 1983) Over several Indian journeys (10) my oil paintings became increasingly influenced by Mughal, Hindu and Persian iconography. In time, curators at Boston Museum of Fine Arts asked to see these paintings. The MFA Indian and Islamic Art division invited me to create works on paper referencing their 15th-17th c. Persian miniatures. The resulting “Glorious Beasts” exhibition, ran for 9 months into mid 2010.
Solo Indian inspired paintings have been exhibited at Indar Pashricha Contemporary, London UK ; Victoria Munroe Fine Art, Boston MA and the Danforth Art Center, Framingham MA. Danforth Director, Katherine French, approached two museums, Art Gallery at Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of New Hampshire Art Museum to travel the Danforth Museum exhibition for two years.
In 2000 Howard and I began collecting Indian drawings used originally as preparatory studies for miniature paintings, circa 1590-1850. Howard and I were both draftsmen in our two professions. The art of drawing was important to us. 2015- 2016 our Collection of Indian drawings were exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art which had acquired the collection also creating a brilliant accompanying catalogue, “Drawn from Courtly India”.
With the passing of my partner in 2012 I simply shut the door to my South End painting studio for nearly 3 years. But in 2016 I came roaring back. I actively paint in my South End studio.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I’m not affiliated with any one art dealer. I work with various private dealers and art consultants. Upon request made via phone or my website, I meet with dealers and clients in my studio. Often the dealers bring their clients into my studio where together we review relevant paintings and discuss pricing. I’m very comfortable speaking about my work and attempt to offer insights into the inner life of the paintings before us. This has worked well as my paintings are in many private and public collections, particularly in New England, New York City and Tokyo.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
I tend to live a very private life as an artist. I am not a social activist or focus my art on social issues. As one deeply engaged with landscape I’m very concerned for the protection and care of land and water. I’m fortunate to live near the ocean, dense woodlands and shimmering lakes. I’m constantly reminded of natures presence and value.
