Fine Arts Degree - University of Florida
Studied painting under Hiram Williams
University of Hawaii
Watercolor, University of Hawaii
Studied under George Woollard
Honolulu Academy of Arts
Watercolor
San Francisco Art Institute
Oil Painting
Contact Tim:
Tim Harper Paintings
Contact Tim Harper at timharpersf@aol.com
Paintings Available At:
SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery
2 Marina Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94123
415.441.4777
www.sfmoma.org/artists-gallery/
ArtSpan
Tim Harper
Saatchi Art
Tim Harper
When I was in high school, I drew a picture of Jimi Hendrix, left it on the kitchen table. The next time I saw it, my dad had put it in a frame and hung it in his man cave. My dad is a very creative person, so it meant something to me that he liked my art. I wanted to be an artist right then and there. I went on to study painting at the University of Florida and continued my art education at the University of Hawaii and the San Francisco Art Institute.
My love for art crosses many boundaries, many styles. I am very diverse and interested just about every movement in art. Maybe that makes me an art chameleon, so I can identify with and be inspired by many styles of art. My biggest influences come from the Fauves and abstract modernism. I love color, energy and interest. I also love the written word and tend to put them on my paintings. My Presidential series feature Presidential portraits with their quotes we remember them by. My musician series include painted on lyrics from songs they are famous for.
Assemblage is also important to me, as seen in my Urban Attraction series. Paint and anything I can rip up and put on the canvas, printed words and images from magazines. I draw a lot of inspiration from modern day artist, Mark Bradford, and Romare Beardon, the collage artist from Harlem. Great use of color and composition. My Urban Attraction series, combines my love of world cities with abstract mixed media paintings. Big, bright, colorful. They are a burst of color from across the room, but a myriad of detail to look at up close.
My wife is a former professional tennis player and I was able to travel with her to many cities around the world when she was on tour, which allowed me to see what artists are doing the world over. I believe you can draw inspiration from every artist and that’s what I try to do.
The world we live in today is heavy and I want my art to lighten things up, with a smile or a laugh or a positive thought.
When I am not painting, I am the Executive Director of Harper for Kids, a charitable organization that I co-founded with my wife, Peanut Louie Harper, a former professional tennis player ranked in the top twenty in the world. Harper for Kids helps schools teach kids about character building based on UCLA Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Peanut wrote a children’s book with Coach Wooden, Inch and Miles, The Journey To Success. I am a devoted father. My daughter, Casey, is a making a difference in the world of bio tech and medicine and my son Jared, is a emerging singer songwriter, www.jaredharpermusic.com.
