About Nick Harris

NICK HARRIS (NICK HAIS)

INFORMATION

Nick is known as Nick Hais in a wider art world of galleries and art fairs - but in Swanage he is still Nick Harris. At first viewing his paintings may seem to be purely figurative, but, in fact, they are based on a non-representational compositional preoccupation with line, shape and colour pictorial geometry. Interestingly, Nick's student and early work was fully abstract (non-figurative). The paintings are artificial constructions, where the non-figurative abstract qualities are the artist's primary creative concern. This combining of colours and shapes in structured compositions is what makes painting exciting to the artist and, it is hoped, makes looking at the paintings exciting to the viewer as well.

 STATEMENT

'Although I have come to the conclusion, after many years thought, that the less said about painting the better I will, nevertheless, point out that I have always enjoyed the brilliance of rich and vibrant light which, when reflected, creates living shadows. I use this quality as it relates to objects and scenes which display inherent geometries, such as buildings and boats. The paintings often depict small parts of larger scenes or objects, allowing me to concentrate attention on line, shape and colour patterns, rhythms and balances, to create pictorial geometries. In particular I often utilise highly resonant and organised colour relationships. The result is that my paintings are structured compositions of enhanced clarity. The paintings are built up in layers of thin paint. This means that they develop slowly, as this way of painting requires precision and time.'             

   NH - 2014