About the artist:

Charles Harper was born on Valencia Island, Co. Kerry in 1943. From 1960-67 he studied at the National College of Art and Design, the Limerick School of Art, and the Dublin Graphic Studio. He was taught by Maurice MacGonigal and Sean Keating.

He describes his work as existential referring to his being and to the lives of those around him. He uses recognizable images to convey his ideas. His work always illustrates a structure and organization. "The language of the painting has to make sense, just as spoken or written language makes sense"

He was influenced by Francis Bacon and David Hockney apparent in his portrait work. In his treatment of the human head the influence of Bacon is obvious as is the work of the Irish artist Louis Le Brocquy. He was also influenced by the Irish artist Patrick Collins. For Harper the actual act of painting is what matters as he sees the actual process as one of exploration and discovery. He says " the process, the making excites me more than any end product" .