Solo Exhibit! You’re invited!
“Whether you will be captivated by the night lights of a bustling city or drawn to foreign lands beneath the sun, Harker’s artwork entices viewers with…
Click here to read the rest of the feature about this upcoming exhibit in LA Artparty.
“Brooke’s work radiates joy and a playful sense of adventure. Each painting is like a little vacation transporting you to a beautiful place brimming with it’s own unique energy,”
-Gabba Gallery curator, Elena Jacobson
Mark your calendar to join us at the opening!
Saturday February 11th! 6-10pm
Gabba Gallery
3126 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90057
gabbagallery.com
This Thursday! February Art Walk in Laguna:
Boardwalk Boogie & Duffy Days by Brooke Harker after delivery to Lu Martin Galleries
My two newest paintings have arrived at Lu Martin Galleries in time for First Thursday Art Walk!
See details below!
Join us Thursday, February 2, 2023
6-9pm
Lu Martin Galleries
372 N Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 91651
949-494-8074
https://lumartingalleries.com/
New Paintings! Fun in the Sun:
What colors surround you and keep your spirits high in winter months?
Boardwalk Boogie by Brooke Harker 36″ x 46″ ink, oil & acrylic on canvas
Click here for pricing and availability
Beyond my known love of umbrellas, the inspiration for this painting came from the woman walking in her orange hat. She could have easily gone for a stroll in old work out clothes, however she chose to be more epic.
Do people’s wardrobe choices ever brighten your day?
The other day my sister and I found delight in the observation of a guy who passed by on a lime green bike, dressed in stretch pants covered in neon green Christmas trees. The rest of his outfit had flares of metallic gold, very artistic. We are in LA after all, anything goes.
painting Boardwalk Boogie and a close up
When speaking with a friend about the above titled painting, “Boardwalk Boogie,” she said, “But she isn’t dancing is she? Isn’t she just walking?”
I responded, “Yes, she is absolutely just walking, however a dance could break out any moment.”
Who knows a flash mob might perform on the boardwalk.
Although really the word “boogie” in this scenario is code for ‘celebration,’ in the kind of moments that make a person want to do a happy dance for appreciation of the moments that make life beautiful.
There is also a hidden meaning in the title too, a salute to my dear friend Joan Marie, a prolific artist whose fantastical rainbow wardrobe matches her infectious spirit of joy, optimism and fun.
Thousands follow her online, and normally there is a waiting list of a couple years long to order one of her personal power portrait commissions.
a power portrait of the inspiring Lisa Carpenter by Joan Marie
Joan Marie has been a massive source of cheerleading in my life, a true friend, and out of this world fun to interact with as one of my co-hosts of Saturday Night Live Art Shows, the project that encourages artists around the world to share their art from home, a studio or really anywhere including the bathtub.
When Joan Marie gets excited about something, which is frequent, one of her sayings is,
“Oh that’s so boogie woogie! I just want to dance and twirl!”
painting Boardwalk Boogie
So now when you see the word ‘boogie’ in the title of this new painting, dotted with rainbow umbrellas, you know some more of the secret.
The day I met Joan Marie in 2018. She showed up in my life like a rainbow after a storm.
Being Invited on Boats
Duffy Days by Brooke Harker 40″ x 66″ ink, oil & acrylic on canvas Click here for pricing and availability
Do you have great boat memories? Or future boat dreams?
Having grown up in the landlocked agricultural state of Iowa, it’s amazing to me that some people grow up with their backyards being a territory for boats. They might get to go for a spin in a Duffy the way my siblings and I would ride our bikes around in the nearby church parking lot.
A couple of years ago, I joined a coaching program that asked participants to envision what they wanted to create in their lives.
As someone who often sees tons of little details in the moment, and could easily spend a chunk of the day fascinated by the way light shines through leaves, I’ve neglected the vision of a bigger picture sometimes. As thoughts of the future seemed foggy, I focused on the details that popped forward in my mind.
I wanted to be the kind of person who gets invited on boats.
I’d shared this dream with my friend Dasha Guilliam, fellow artist at Lu Martin Galleries, the year prior. She explained to me that in boat culture, people don’t just get invited on boats last minute, that it takes planning.
Nonetheless, I took multiple photography trips to Newport Beach, California with the vision that at any moment, despite Dasha’s reality check, I might get invited on a boat. In an act of perfect act synchronicity, I’d be out taking photos or drawing and meet fabulously interesting people who would invite me to go on a boat with them. Then I’d see the perfect composition for painting.
I probably could have dreamed of owning a boat, or even renting one, however I wanted to meet boat people. I wanted to hear stories of a lifetime on the water, tales that would be different than what I knew as normal.
By the end of that coaching program, called TCP with Jim Fortin, my dream to be invited on a boat came true. I kind of wished I’d dreamed even bigger!
with the boat captain, Stan
Over a year since my friend Dasha schooled me on boat culture, she called to say her friend Joe had a friend who could take us out on his boat. I could take photos, and she too had a photoshoot project of her own.
Stan the owner of the boat, a retired fireman and contractor, generously ushered us around the harbor. I snapped photos in all directions. Attempting to get a shot of boats in a perfect composition is a bit like herding wild cats. Stan talked about how he grew up in Newport Beach, pointed out various family homes and told us stories about being on the water. He’d recently purchased land in Costa Rica where he’d be sailing his boat to build a refuge for endangered wild animals.
Duffy Days is the first painting made from that boat trip. I’d like to share in some sort of fancy boat language what kind of boat we were on. Although what I remember is that it was a big boat with six sails that looked like a giant pirate ship as it cruised through the harbor. Heads turned to watch this massive boat go by.
I even got to drive for a bit.
Random fact: The boat with the red roof in Duffy Days, actually drew reference from a follow up Duffy tour with fellow artist friends from Lu Martin Galleries. A dream continued.
Immense gratitude for friends along the way…
There was a lesson too in being willing to aiming sights and focus towards a destination.
Nobody gets where they are wanting to go without taking the steps to get there…
unless we are talking about magical portals or something, which is a whole other Harry Potter or super hero type topic.
As we go into 2023, I hope wherever you set your destination, that your voyage brings you joy, and you interact with cool people along the way.
And if you intend to see an original painting on your wall, set yourself up as worthy to arrive at that destination. You are already there.
Brooke Harker
