We love Charley Harper at my house. I first discovered Harper when I interviewed Todd Oldham a few years ago. I asked Oldham (who I sort of worship) who some of his design influences were, and he mentioned Charley Harper. At the time, I hadn’t heard of Harper, but of course, I pretended I knew exactly who he was (“oh sure, he’s FABulous!”). But the only Charley Harper I knew was Charlie Sheen’s totally annoying character on that sitcom with the kid. So I immediately looked him up, and was a smitten kitten within minutes (not to mention, I learned that he’s from right here in Cincinnati!). I love Harper’s sense of whimsy and his use of color and contrast. He draws a bird like none other. So it made sense that when my husband and I were ready to invest in some real art for our house, Harper was the first place we turned!
Picture
Harper prints above the T Oldham sofa
Picture
Picture
 I also love the Charley Harper ABC book and the 1,2,3 book. We started reading them before bed early on, and Max really loves looking through them now. He’s even starting to recognize Harper’s work when he sees it elsewhere. For example, we got a postcard from Fabulous Frames and Art  (the best place in Cincinnati to buy Harper) announcing their upcoming Harper show. I showed the postcard to Max and said, “who do you think drew these pictures?” He thought for a minute, and then yelled: “Tarley Harpuhhh!”

I did this Harper-inspired project in Sew Retro, and it got me thinking about other Harper-inspired projects I might try.
Picture
I’ve decided to do some Harper-inspired fabric/embroidery collages and give them as holiday gifts. I’m still working out the details (strangely, I’ve noticed that I do a lot of my best project thinking at 5 a.m. when I’m lying there nursing Georgia, wavering between sleep and wakefulness). I’m going to use some of the same transfer and appliqué techniques I used to make the Clifford quilt, but on a much smaller scale. Will post the final result . . .
Theresa
12/29/2010 03:59:32 am

"strangely, I’ve noticed that I do a lot of my best project thinking at 5 a.m. when I’m lying there nursing Georgia, wavering between sleep and wakefulness"

I don't find this strange at all - think, you are there between the conscious editor and the subconscious - not odd that some good ideas should leak out! And the nursing - The things we do while nursing are special, aren't they? I started writing again when nursing my youngest, with him on my lap.

Reply



Leave a Reply.