Gallery #556B   

      August 31, 2017

By permission of the artist, The Cyber Art Show is pleased to feature the second of two 12-piece exhibitions of works by British 

landscape painter Alan Harris (born 1954 in London, UK).

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Alan Harris creates original art, paintings and sculptures using oils, watercolors, pastel and mixed media. His contemporary art ranges from traditional images depicting nostalgic scenes to abstract and semi -abstract pieces specially in his sculpture work.

 
Alan has always had a flair for being creative. He attended Strand Grammar where, like most schools of the time, academic discipline was paramount. As with most rebellious teenagers, he put those academic qualifications to one side and left school to find his own way, specifically to train as a cabinet maker. His working career has included both blue and white collar work, but he always retained a passion for all things creative. 

Says Alan, “My interests in creativity were greatly inspired by my father who spent much of his free time making and mending and sharing his skills with me.”

Alan liked to paint and became engrossed in art and handicrafts around twenty years ago, establishing his own style that has been appreciated by many. His early paintings, mostly simple watercolors, depicted scenes of everyday life. Now he is dedicated full time to painting and recently has moved on to developing other techniques and experimenting with work in different mediums.

Alan has been largely influenced by the images of post-war Europe. His work shows scenes from his childhood mixed with stories of his forefathers, creating a personal and intimate world of nostalgia in each of his paintings. Dream like spaces and empty, cold streets are characteristic of Alan's artwork, but though they may lack people they are still infused with activity.  Whether an overflowing dustbin, a cat hiding in the corner, or a forgotten can of Coke, Alan's art reflects life and memories in a way that conjures images of the household and a strong sense of family. 

Though they may appear empty on the surface, Alan's works inspire the viewers with feelings of both happiness and warm nostalgia. Those very same spaces depicted in Alan's work may well be the streets of London where he was born, Newcastle, where he currently lives, or anywhere else, but even viewers find something they recognize among the paint.  Each picture is an image created by an artist who relies upon his memory to convey the very issues with it.  By refusing to use any sort of photographic reference, Alan is able to truly embody memory in a way that showcases both its importance, wonderfulness and even its fragility.

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Currently, Alan has studios in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, as well as in Barcelona, where he passes long periods working and studying new forms of art.