Jim Harrison gallery to celebrate 20th anniversary
By RACHEL JOHNSON
Staff writer
The Jim Harrison Gallery in Denmark plans to kick off a yearlong celebration of its 20th anniversary on Aug. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. During the event, esteemed artist Jim Harrison will be on hand in the gallery to personalize books, sign prints and meet with gallery patrons.
Hailed by Southern Living magazine as "one of the country's foremost nostalgic artists," Harrison's art captures the essence of the South and rural America.
"A Jim Harrison painting is much more than an image on canvas. It is an experience ... a part of the artist ... a shared remembrance of the values that made up our country," according to press materials.
Harrison's works have put him among the nation's foremost chroniclers of earlier 20th century rural life. During his more than 35-year career as a full-time artist, he has sold out more than 100 limited-edition prints made from his paintings, and there are thousands of collectors of his work across the country. He has held shows at Hammer Galleries in New York City and Conacher Gallery in San Francisco.
Harrison started painting when he first climbed onto a sign painter's scaffold on the side of McCartha's Hardware in Denmark. The Coca-Cola sign he began that day was the first of more than 100 signs he painted over the next few years.
His strong feelings for the rural South may be seen in his works, which encompass railroad stations, churches, one-room school houses, country stores, covered bridges, farm buildings and more.
"I sincerely try to put meaning into my work in hopes it has some historical value," he said in a press release. "With my paintbrush and pen, I sometimes feel like I'm just one step in front of the wrecking ball. For more than half a century, I have had a love affair with old buildings, old things and old ways. Preserving them in at least some small way is important to me."
As a part of the 20th anniversary celebration, Harrison will visit the gallery one Sunday a month during celebratory events to be held Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 23, Dec. 14, Jan. 18, 2009, Feb. 15, March 15, April 19, March 15, April 19, May 17, June 21 and July 19.
The gallery, located at the intersection of South Main Street and Highway 78 in Denmark, is the Southeastern distributor for original paintings by Jim Harrison.
For more information, call Jim Harrison Gallery at (800) 793-5796 or visit www.jimharrison.com.
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Comments
1 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
Gary Arseneau On:
8/14/2008
Comment Title: Jim Harrison Reproductions
Jim Harrison's so-called "limited edition prints" are actually non-disclosed as reproductions reproduced from his paintings. Under South Carolina's Trade and Commerce statutes Sec. 39-16-40, if you sell a reproduction for $100 or more, it is required to disclose it as a reproduction. Failure to do so may result in, but not limited to, refund, interest and treble damages. In closing, without full and honest disclosure to reproductions as reproductions, how can the consumer give informed consent?
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