Evan B. Harris
Born among the briars & brambles in backwoods
of Medford, Oregon, Evan Benjamin Harris grew
up with little knowledge of the bourgeois big city
fine arts. So, he dove into the recesses of his own
imagination and embraced the fables and folklore
that fascinated him. With little to do but draw, he
did exactly that. Now older, things haven’t changed
much. The stories he created as a child are still
present in his paintings. With diligence and hard
work, Evan’s crude stick figures became the more
clearly defined images you see today. With no
formal art training, he creates on his own terms.
Broken boards, oil and acrylic paints, charcoal
pastels, plastic resign, and melted waxes are
among the mediums Evan uses. Then they are
beaten, brushed, sanded, polished, and hung.
Most would cringe at the idea of scratching or
sanding something they spent hours upon hours
painting, but that’s Evan’s favorite part - creating
the appearance that this wasn’t made in the 21st
century. Behind every scratch and claw mark is a
story waiting to be told.
From the Ultra Fresh: “Harris’ work is most aptly
described as knowing folk art, employing a folk art
stylistic naif idiosyncrasies but with an air that says
I know you know. It’s willfully nostalgic work has a
palette of tea-stain washes, charcoals, and roses
and frequently historical subject matter.
At its best, it is both smart and beautiful, as his
series of birds captioned thus…”Wood Thrush
in a silk crepe de chine envelope chemise neatly
trimmed in front with rows of lace insertion,” “Bay-
Breasted Warbler in a velveteen jacket and a
yoke topped sicle pleated skirt trimmed with pearl
buttons,” and “Bobolink in a hills jean sport suit”…”
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