New People of Print Member John Harrison is a news addict. He osmoses information, churns and munches it up in his head, mixing it with experience as an illustrator and computer games artist, then pouring out his thoughts into his work. Through this process, he explores the ideas of modern cultural themes and bring a deconstructional, sometimes subversive lens to ‘topics of the day’.
Imagery referencing popular culture, past and present take centre stage in Harrison’s work, colliding different elements, building up layers of a mix of original and found imagery constructed into final finished pieces. A construction of his erratic thoughts if you will. Harrison comes from a digital art background and finds working physically with his hands on the process of screenprinting creatively explosive and addictive!
Taking a free approach to printing, using ‘knock-out’ sparingly as he prefers the wonderful build up of textures and patterns created with overlays of acrylics and inks. Texture, so Harrison tells us, is a quality that brings a unique character to his art bringing it to life and making it feel more alive and physical. His printing process is fairly quick, often including ‘live’ edits and spontaneous interventions post-print, meaning although works are marked as ‘editions’ in actual fact all prints are unique. Harrison’s influences are numerous. He was brought up on comics for years, going back to early American comics to his homegrown 2000AD!
Want to become a People of Print Member? Apply here.
johnharrisonworks.com
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