History and ancient cultures have always fascinated me. I grew up during my formative years in New Mexico, a state known for its natural beauty and its many artists. This tradition goes back thousands of years to the ceramics, rock art, and other cultural materials the indigenous Native Americans left us and make to this day. Growing up I took in all this artistic heritage and began to draw and paint when I was in school. I enjoyed the works of the Regionalist painter Peter Hurd, especially his watercolors, and got to meet and talk with him several times.

  In High School I landed a job at the Roswell Museum and Art Center. There I was introduced to a whole new way of approaching Art. In addition to realistic works by artists like Peter Hurd, Henriette Wyeth, Marsden Hartly the Museum had many contemporary art shows that featured big name national contemporary artists from the 50’s and 60’s like Andy Warhol, Agnes Martin, Mark Rothko, and Georgia O’Keefe. The Museum had an artist in residency program and to make extra cash I would help the artists out at their residency compound studios. One of those artists was Luis Jimenez a contemporary fiberglass sculptor, he gave me new insights about 3-dimensional art.

After graduating college, I have been lucky enough to travel around the world and always have made it a point to visit the art museums of the cities I am in. I have visited the Louvre in Paris, as well as Rome and the Vatican Museums. In London I have enjoyed the National Gallery and the Tate on several occasions. In New York I never miss an opportunity to visit the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art, the American Craft Museum and as many galleries as I can budget my time for.  I always make it a point to see and enjoy art no matter the style or the size and manner of exhibition space. 

I was an active member of Gallery 1114 ,a contemporary artists gallery, for nearly 2 decades during the 80’s and 90’s. I was fortunate enough to have several solo and collaborative shows. In addition, during this time I taught ceramics and sculpture at Midland College for 15 years.  

 The work that I do may seem eclectic, maybe unconnected, but it all has a connection to me. I strive to capture that desire man has to express himself through visual means, from marks made in a cave on a dark wall in France 30,000 years ago to Jackson Pollocks abstract expressionist mark making. At my age I have no desire to become a famous artist, I can now freely pursue art as I like. I do not want to find myself tied down to a recapitulatory style. I will pursue art in whatever direction that pleases me and that may take different rapidly changing paths. As the saying goes “Time waits for no one” and that is what the patron sees in my show.

I have exhibited my work throughout the southwest in Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in California and Texas.  

Boyd Harris