A 17-year-old British artist made a trip across the Atlantic and all the way to the West Coast for her first gallery show. Hari Conner is showing her “Thoughts on Paper,” a collection of comic-book sketches and drawings, this month at the Red Bluff Gallery.
The show speaks of a youth’s fascination with relationships, death, fantasy and humor.
Hari says her work is all fantasy, and she creates her settings with no “good guys” or “bad guys.” She doesn’t like the stereotypical hero and villain. “I just like telling stories,” she says.
She uses more than one distinct style. Some sketches are cartoons, others are more realistic, and some are reminiscent of Japanese anime. A series of comic strips reveals her playful side as the child-like figures run from silly monsters and talk with each other. Some pieces are more grim and include characters in graveyards or dealing with demons. Studies of larger detailed pieces are also included in the show.
Hari remembers showing an early interest in fantasy. At 10 years old, she wrote a fantasy novel. A few years later she created imagery to accompany her stories, the beginnings of a graphic novel she is working on.
Hari’s mother and father, both in attendance, studied art history. Her father is a professional art historian, so it is no surprise that Hari grew up visiting galleries and experiencing art. Hari’s mother admits Hari’s imagery was shocking at first. She thinks of her daughter as a “sunny” kind of person and was shaken by the images of vampires. The shock has worn off and both parents are completely supportive of Hari’s artistic endeavors, supportive enough to fund a trip to California for her show.
Hari discovered the Red Bluff Gallery while browsing the internet for art that interested her and discovered the work of Phil Dynan, owner of the Red Bluff Gallery. They corresponded and Phil chose Hari as a featured emerging artist at the gallery.
Hari is always sketching: while watching television, at school, everywhere. She is taking an academic art class but explains that the approach is more traditional. She sees the importance in both the traditional and her cartoons, but the cartoons “are a completely separate thing.” While some pieces are serious and others whimsical, all reflect Hari’s uniqueness as an artist and person. She is a storyteller and an artist, and with all the ideas she has ready to share with the world, we should anticipate seeing more of Hari Conner’s creative invention.
See Hari’s work through Aug. 28 at the Red Bluff Art Gallery. Visit redbluffartgallery.com for more information.
Katie Nichols graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Art from Biola University in 2002 and has been passionately creating artwork ever since. Her pop art pieces explore themes of gender roles, societal restrictions and stereotypes. They now also explore domestic themes – she became a new mom in April. Katie is a participant in Redding’s Open Studio Tour and frequently displays for 2nd Saturday ArtHop. See Katie’s work at theartofkatienichols.com
