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Sculpture by Mark Yale Harris

Artist's Statement

Purpose
The purpose of my artwork is to provoke a perceptual, internal, and intellectual response for the viewer; a visual that speaks to life's experiences. To create symbols of universal connection and the relationship that one has to another and to nature.

Philosophy
I enjoy the challenge of working with permanent and natural materials. Unlike other materials or mediums where one can add or delete, with natural material, one can only delete. The material often dictate to me the direction in which the design is supposed to head. It is my belief that as we go through life we can only create from that which we have, or are given. We cannot replace that which is lost or taken away or that which we never had. The ability to interpret and create beauty from that which we have is the challenge and the satisfaction I experience in creating my work.

As I work through the creative process of visualizing, drawing, or forming a maquette in clay, I utilize a sixth sense I feel through my hands. I am able to draw upon the subconscious of my experiences and, in-turn, interpret gesture, form, energy, pleasure and pain. Alternating between gesture and geometric form, depicting the contradiction we experience in nature, awakening in the viewer an appreciation of the duality in the world around us.

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Artist's Biography

I was born in Buffalo, New York and spent hours as a child enthralled in my own artistic world- drawing, painting, doodling. I was honored with awards and scholarships for my art, but was encouraged to pursue a more conventional career, so I received a B.S.S. in 1961 from Ohio State University, and embarked upon a long and successful career in real estate and hotel development. Never abandoning my first love, I sold my company in 1996 to fulfill my dream of creating art full-time.

Although I had over a half-century of life experience, I was a novice at my craft, so I turned to an artist whose work I had collected and admired for years, Bill Prokopiof (Aleut, 1944-1999). In the spirit the nation's most recognized Native American artist and mentor, sculptor Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache, 1915-1994), Prokopiof and sculptor Doug Hyde (Nez Perce), took me under their wings, generously sharing with me immense knowledge, talent, and artistic skill. Santa Fe had been home to Houser, Prokopiof, and Hyde, and I made it mine as well in the late 1990s, splitting my time between Santa Fe and Austin, Texas.

The artistic passion that had existed just beneath the surface of my long-established business persona was finally able to present itself in tangible form. I used the invaluable experience of their mentorship, along with my own vision, to create an evolving body of work in alabaster, marble, limestone, and bronze, often combining different elements to bring forth a duality in the sculpture that I make.

I am proud to share successful relationships with the following galleries, with whom it is a pleasure to work: A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, California - Crossroads Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico - E.S. Lawrence Gallery, Aspen, Colorado - Exposures International Gallery of Fine Art, Sedona, Arizona - Gallery Mack, Seattle, Washington - La Posada de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico - Lawrence Galleries, Portland, Oregon - Mountain Trails Gallery, Palm Desert, California - Old Town Gallery, Park City, Utah - Thomas R. Riley Galleries, Columbus, Ohio -Thomas R. Riley Galleries, Cleveland, Ohio - Thornwood Gallery, Houston, Texas. Furthermore, my work is included in dozens of private and public collections internationally.

I continually look forward to exploring the possibilities that come with developing my craft, creating challenging pieces, forming new ideas, and extending my pursuit of expression through sculpture.

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Resumé

• Projected Annual Awards Exhibition travels to Brookgreen Garden, South Carolina
• 2006 Annual Awards Exhibition, National Scupture Society - New York, New York
  Two-Person Exhibition, Thornwood Gallery - Houston, Texas
  *Faculty Club, Ohio State University - Columbus, Ohio
  
• 2005 *San Angelo Museum - San Angelo, Texas
  SOFA New York - New York City, New York
  2005 Annual Awards Exhibition, National Sculpture Society - New York, New York
  The Sea, National Sculpture Society - New York, New York
  The American West, National Sculpture Society - New York, New York
  Santa Fe Sculptors, Crossroads Contemporary Gallery - Santa Fe, New Mexico
  *Juried Art Show 2005, Farmington Museum - Farmington, New Mexico
  
• 2004 SOFA Chicago - Chicago, Illinois
  *Thomas R. Riley Galleries - Columbus, Ohio
  *Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood: Reflections of Nature, Chesterwood Museum - Stockbridge, Massachusettes
  *The Terrain, Las Cruces Museum of Fine Art - Las Cruces, New Mexico
  Dual Exhibition, Crossroads Contemporary Art - Santa Fe, New Mexico
  Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Sculptor's Dominion - San Antonio, Texas
  Three-Person Exhibition, Thornwood Gallery - Houston, Texas
  
• 2003 Gallery Artists Group Sculpture Exhibit, Thornwood Gallery - Houston, Texas
  A New Leaf Gallery - San Francisco, California
  Exposures International Gallery - Sedona, Arizona
  La Posada de Santa Fe, Rock Resort - Santa Fe, New Mexico
  Lynne White's Shriver Gallery - Taos, New Mexico
  Old Town Gallery - Park City, Utah
  *Mark Harris: Flash of Spirit, Thornwood Gallery - Houston, Texas
  

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Contact Artist

Also, please visit Mark's Web site: www.markyaleharris.com

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