Alien invasion artwork
“I still utilize fluorescent paints, especially in some of my Space Rocks, because of its pure, brilliant intensity,” Harp said. One of his black-light assemblages was purchased by MTV for its corporate art collection. He also produced black-lighted ad campaigns for Mercury Records, IBM and Panasonic.
Harp, who studied at Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Fine Arts, has been intrigued by black light and fluorescent paints for several decades. He gathered about a dozen of the stones and soon began creating “Space Rocks.” As he looked at the contours and patterns of the rocks, he saw what appeared to him to be the gray heads of aliens similar to ones he had seen illustrated in reference books. One afternoon shortly after the exhibit in New Mexico, Harp was walking his dog in the desert when he discovered some river rocks scattered along the trail. Harp’s art isn’t limited to his paintings, however. Three of his paintings are currently being exhibited in a juried show at the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts, 101 N. “The pictures fit almost any décor, but especially compliment the interiors of houses built during the same midcentury era,” Harp said. Some galleries and collectors have taken notice. Vintage paint-by-number pictures have gotten increasingly collectible, and adding pop-culture elements to the designs is a popular practice. These painting are, he points out, perfect showcases for his aliens.Īccording to Harp, boomers buying Midcentury Modern houses are especially attracted to his art, in addition to older people who remember the pictures when they were first introduced more than a half century ago.
Harp is convinced that the paintings, which originated in the 1950s and '60s, represent an era when many Americans were intrigued by flying saucers and the possibility of outer-space visitors. "I love paint-by-number art, because it allows everyone (with a steady hand) to recreate great historic masterpieces, including 'The Last Supper,' 'The Gleaners,' etc. And I love to 'invade' them, because I aspire to help keep people's minds open to all possibilities in the universe."īorn in Buffalo, New York, in 1960, Harp worked on Broadway productions including “Miss Saigon,” “Cats,” and “Les Miserables,” and film projects for “Planet of the Apes,” “Sleepy Hollow,” and “All the Pretty Horses.” He's also helped create costumes for The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, and the Talking Heads.Īfter completing about a dozen “invasion” pictures, he was contacted by Moshe Koenick, owner of M Gallery in Truth or Consequences, who arranged an exhibit of Harp’s work. The exhibit opened in May 2008 and was noted by the New York Times. “She was so enthusiastic by what I had done, she provided me with several paint-by-number pictures she had purchased from thrift shops and on eBay, and soon I was involved with more paint-by-number ‘invasions,’” he said.