Edward Hardy Harrison was born August 28th, 1926 in the village of
Wingate In county Durham, England. Grammar school teachers recognized
his talent and urged him to further pursue his artistic dreams by going
to Art College. In 1943, he enrolled in Hartlepool College of Art and
began to study art and design in earnest, but the Second World War
interrupted his education. Following military service, he returned to
art school and in 1950, received a Diploma in Design. In 1967, he and
his family settled in the small town of Carcross just outside
Whitehorse, in the Yukon, where they lived until 1993. Harrison was an
author and illustrator as well as a printmaker. He was selected for the
International Children’s Book Exhibition in Bologna, Italy. He
illustrated a Robert Service poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee” which one
several awards including the Notable Book Award from the American
Library Association and the Best Book Selection from The New York Times.
In 1987 Harrison was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his
contributions to Canadian culture. He also held honorary doctorates from
Athabasca University (1991), the University of Victoria (1998) and the
University of Alberta (2005). He was made a member of the Royal Canadian
Academy of Arts.
Paradise Visions, 2010
twenty six-colour serigraph, ed. 150
image: 19.5” x 27”
paper: 22.5” x 30”
The serigraph Paradise Visions depicts the mountainous
landscape and joyous activity found at the Paradise Valley Summer School
of Visual Art located near Brackendale, B.C. The bold shapes, colourful
style and distinct narrative quality is unmistakably Harrison at his
best.
Emily's Place, 2003
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Whale Frolic, 1994
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