Leisure Day | 49 x 72 | ink, oil & acrylic on canvas | by Brooke Harker | SOLD
original painting by Brooke Harker. Leisure Day depicts beach goers along the California coast. Taking photos of people on the beach with the hopes of obtaining a reference for a painting is a bit like gathering flies. One moment a person might be digging in the sand and in an instant take off running towards the surf. I track the vibrant colors of swimming suits in motion and use the placement of towels, umbrellas, buckets and beach furniture as a temporary source of stability. These items may move in an instant when an umbrella folds or a towel gets picked up. There is very little in...
Read MoreHarbor Shine | 32 x 60 | ink, oil & acrylic on canvas | by Brooke Harker | SOLD
Click magnifying glass icon to see full painting. I dreamed of a life that involved turquoise water and boats. It was this vision that drew me to Sicily in search of images that captured and quenched this longing. However, it was the greens in the boats and the tiled dome of Trapani’s Church of San Francesco of Assisi that called to me and influenced the shades of lime in the water. I found this harbor on a windy day. I wouldn’t have seen all the boats had it been a calm day as they probably would have been out to sea. It was because of the turbulent waters that I got to witness my...
Read MoreReign of Today | 69 x 46 | ink, oil & acrylic on canvas | by Brooke Harker | SOLD
original painting by Brooke Harker available at Lu Martin Galleries in Laguna Beach, CA While working on this painting, I noted: “Today I felt more like having fun than being perfect.” This painting marked a significant change in the way I approached painting. The transformation began during my residency in Italy and when I returned to LA. I felt confused. I thought of a story I’d heard of slaves who wandered in the desert for forty years after captivity so that their children would not associate themselves as slaves. Although several months overseas as an artist is quite...
Read MoreGolden Gate Shores | 42 x 72 | ink, oil & acrylic on canvas | by Brooke Harker | SOLD
original painting by Brooke Harker sold at Edward Montgomery Fine Art in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. Inspired by a photograph taken by Ross Smillie. The Golden Gate Bridge has been a symbol of gratitude to me since I first saw it on my 30th birthday. Anyone who has spent time with me on a birthday knows that I like to play games in celebration of however many years a person turns. This tradition started in an intense karate class during my college years. As I’d grown up in a back brace for scoliosis and had a spinal fusion at thirteen, I always had an excuse out of gym class and any physical...
Read MoreUrban Rain | 84″ x 66″ x 3.75″ | ink & acrylic on canvas | by Brooke Harker | SOLD
original painting by Brooke Harker, 2012. “Urban Rain” is part of a series of 4 paintings made in 2012 that were 7ft tall. I had no idea how much arm strength I would build from hauling them around. I discovered that in order to photograph them in proper sunlight, I had to tie them to street signs across the street from my studio and then go back to my side of the street to take the photo. 3 out of the 4 paintings were made from live sketches…The sun had dropped too much for me to finish the fourth sketch downtown–(I explain why under the Persching Square piece) so I...
Read MorePershing Square | 84 x 66 x 3.75 | ink & acrylic on canvas | by Brooke Harker | SOLD
original painting by Brooke Harker, 2012. Sketching live downtown Los Angeles inspired this painting. I would like to thank the employees of Subway for letting me sketch against their building at dusk! The angle I really wanted was closer to the street, but for my own safety from a brawl on the other side of the street between people in need of homes, mental health counseling and many other things, I adjusted my frame and still felt compelled to draw there. Perhaps that was me stubborn instead of a calling. However as they continued to yell at passing cars and bicyclists, I continued to...
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