Charley Harper in his studio 2006

Charley Harper has become increasingly well know in the UK, but in America he is a national treasure.

Best know for his bird designs, Charley Harper (1922 – 2007) was an extraordinarily prolific graphic designer and artist, loved for his delightful, stylised, and often humorous illustrations of nature, animals, insects and people.

Harper captured the essence of his subject with the fewest possible elements. This can be seen in the ornithological illustrations for his book, ‘Birds and Words’ (1974), recently republished by Ammo Books.

‘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 pictures’

Born in West Virginia, Harper’s early life was spent roaming over the Appalachian foothills surrounding the family farm. Although he didn’t know it at the time, he was building an affinity with nature that would greatly influence his work. He left his farm home to study at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where he later served as an instructor for 20 years.

By 1955, Harper had found his own voice as an artist. Referring to his economical approach as minimal realism he said “I don’t think there was much resistance to the way I simplified things. I think everybody understood that’

In the 1950s and 1960s Harper gained acclaim as a commercial illustrator with ‘The Golden Book of Biology’, ‘Animal Kingdom’, and “Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two’. In the following two decades, he contributed to The Ford Times, a unique travel magazine from The Ford Motor Company. Harper’s paintings have appeared on posters from many conservation minded organisations and wildlife centres.

New York fashion guru Todd Oldham (‘Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life’ 2007), Harper’s biographer, said of his work ‘Charley’s inspired yet accurate colour sense is undeniable, and when combined with the precision he exacts on rendering only the most important details, one is always left with a sense of awe.’