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When I was first introduced to artist Geno Harris’ work, I was immediately enthralled by the vibrant imagery of his creations. I wanted to know what moved him, and inspired his work, but soon I found that he had a fascinating story, one that I was all too familiar with.
Harris is a Detroit native. His early creative influences came from music, specifically gospel music, and he began singing at the age of 10. He thoroughly enjoyed music, and sang in the church choir, however, he had no visual art influences until he began working at the Detroit Institute of Art in 2000. He began to appreciate the visual arts more because he was working around it, and in 2002 that he began creating his own pieces.
Harris says that his work developed from necessity. He had always loved interior design, and one day while watching a show on Home and Garden television, he was inspired to create a piece using paper in order to fill the space on his large loft wall.
Soon after Harris began creating his non-representational pieces for his loft, a gallery moved into the same building. It was there that he was able to develop some of his first clientele by selling his art. He saw financial success immediately, and was able to sustain himself, selling 2-3 pieces per month. Harris began creating functional art (furniture, etc.), in addition to his abstract work, and ended up creating commissioned pieces for a loft development.
Pride Pieces of me © Geno Harris |
Harris’ career was growing, but he found some limitations with the galleries. He felt that it was difficult to get his art noticed because he was self taught, and he decided that he wanted to do something about that. He knew that other artists were dealing with similar issues so he and artist, Mychal Noir, decided to create the, Poor Man’s Art Collective in 2003. The collective features the works of emerging artists in Detroit, and gives them and opportunity to exhibit their art in a way that they may not have otherwise had.
Creativity © Geno Harris |
One Amongst Many © Geno Harris |
As Harris was building his brand and developing a successful following for his work and his organization, tragedy struck. In 2007, Harris went to the doctor because he was having chronic back pain. The doctor immediately performed a urinalysis, and determined (based on the blood in his urine) that he had nephritis and was in full kidney failure. Frightened and overwhelmed, Harris was immediately placed on dialysis. Harris says that his experience on dialysis was harrowing. He felt that the whole experience was surreal, and described it as feeling like, “Frankenstein,” or a “Science Project,” because of the tubes running through his body.
Self Aware © Geno Harris |
Tye Dye © Geno Harris |
Harris says that he always believed that he would get off of dialysis, even though he had heard that many people stay on the machine for years. After each treatment three days a week, he would come home exhausted. On the days that he didn’t receive treatment, he created art, and it was the art that helped him through his circumstance. He says that art prevented him from falling into depression and helped to save his life. After one year on dialysis, Harris' kidneys were healed and he was able to delve into his work full time.
Lady in the Waterfall © Geno Harris |
Powerful Woman ( Homage to Mother Earth) © Geno Harris |
Harris’ works are created using paper. He manipulates the papers to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. He uses vibrant papers and says that the colors in each piece, "speaks to him and makes him feel alive." His creations, and their vivid colors, are the direct opposite of the darkness he faced when he was dealing with illness.
Her Majesty © Geno Harris |
Harris wants the viewers to make their own deductions about the work. He is inspired by each piece of paper and the way that they meld together. He allows the work to guide itself because each creation is based on a feeling. Harris says that he likes his work to be touched and encourages viewers to do so, believing that by touching the art a sensory experience is created between the viewer and the piece.
Although Harris is an emerging artist, you can find him in Detroit assisting others that are emerging in the field, through his organization the Poor Man’s Art Collective. He feels that giving back and supporting one another is an important way to build up art communities.
Smooth Jazz © Geno Harris |
He shared some moving words left with him by his friend, mentor and patron, Jim Allen Rose, “Believe in yourself and what you are doing, and never let anyone tell you that your work doesn’t have value.”
“Art is an expression of one’s self, one’s being, one’s purpose in life.” Geno Harris 2012
True words indeed from an artist that is bound to succeed! To see more of Geno Harris' work, please visit his site by clicking here. You can also find out more about Harris' recent exhibition with the Heidelberg Project in Detroit on his website.
Learn More about Poor Man’s Art Collective by visiting Facebook.
All images are © copyrighted by the artist unless otherwise noted. Images cannot be reproduced without permission of the artist.
Cultured Artists™ ©2012
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