Patrick Harper has come a long way, indeed.

From an early age, Harper was intrigued with the “Wild West”. His dad, a former Texas oilman not surprisingly nicknamed “Tex”, and his mother, the quintessential cooking-cleaning-baking-canning, stay-at home mom, raised Harper in Indiana. He grew up respecting hard work and good values. His dad collected guns and rifles, adding to Harper’s fascination with cowboy life and all things “Western”.

Movies about the Wild West and TV cowboy shows made a big impression on Harper when he was small and when he became a teenager his dad even bought him a horse.

Over the years as Harper’s interest in creating art grew, his focus on the “Wild West” diminished and he began seeking more sophisticated subjects for inspiration. After college his interest broadened further into commercial art and took him into the advertising business.

However, Harper never drifted far from his easel concentrating for a time on city life’s familiar sights. As he gained expertise, he became interested in sharing his talent, skill and insights with young artists. He left the conference room for the classroom and taught drawing and painting classes at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Otis College of Art & Design and UCLA.

As his interests evolved, he sharpened his focus once again on “Mother Nature” and cityscapes gave way to landscapes. Harper brought countrysides and seashores to life with such a keen eye and practiced hands that when you looked at his work, you could almost feel the warm breeze coming off the plains.

In time he began horseback riding, bought Caballio, his 15.1 hands chestnut gelding, and gained a greater awareness of the unique, powerful beauty of these exquisite creatures. In addition to painting he began sculpting. To his delight Harper discovered that sculpting became, for him, an extension of painting, and now he could “paint” in three dimensions. His subjects have become so real to him, he’s said it wouldn’t surprise him if one of his sculpted horses actually turned and snorted!

To Harper, creating these works of art is as much a part of him as his own heartbeat. With tremendous respect for nature’s beauty, Harper shares his stories and visions with us and the profound intimacy he experiences with nature is obvious in everything he creates.

His art is alive with adventure, heros, animals in the wild, hard work and wholesome values caught at a perfect moment in time, brought to you vital and alive.

Harper studied with Vic Reisau, Mehl Lawsen and John Coleman and credits the following artist for supplying the greatest influence on his work: Carl Rungis, James Reynolds, Frederick Remington and Charlie Russel.

Now, on to Harper’s work.

You ready partner? Let’s ride!