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"He's been called the eighth member of the Group of Seven, but even someone with the prodigious talent of Ottawa landscape painter Gordon Harrison doesn't get by on artistic chops alone. Indeed, Harrison has worked hard to avoid the cliché of the starving artist, or, worse, the cliché of the starving artist who spends his life in both poverty and anonymity, only to have his genius recognized posthumously, when it does him no good.
Earlier this week I sat down with the painter and his manager and life partner, Phil Emond, at the Gordon Harrison gallery on Murray Street in the ByWard Market, to discuss Harrison's growing reputation and, not incidentally, revenue. What I discovered was that while art may be open to interpretation, and beauty in the eye of the beholder, business remains business, whatever the métier.
It may take five or six visits before someone purchases a painting to allow them to establish a relationship with the artist over time.
When it comes to landscape painting, people tend to fall in love with scenes with which they're already familiar, places they've lived or visited or otherwise become emotionally attached to. So it was with Harrison's series of paintings on Rockcliffe landmarks; so it likely will be when he tackles the Muskoka region this summer.
Two years ago Emond convinced Harrison to open his own gallery in the ByWard Market. The reasons were several--most importantly, they wanted a place where they could showcase entire collections of Harrison's paintings year-round, instead of in dribs and drabs at the whim of other gallery owners.
Harrison produced a hardcover book of his work to date, selling it at various book stores around town and, most significantly, at the National Gallery of Canada. "A lot of people would leaf through the book after touring the National Gallery, see that my gallery is only a couple blocks away, and come for a visit," says Harrison. "It's proven to be a great marketing tool." The book, in turn, has been followed by a calendar. "Some people can't afford to buy a painting, but want something they can give to their friends or family. It's a great way to get my paintings and name more widely known."
Popular wisdom says that when the economy tanks, luxury items are the first things people stop buying. Some artists respond by cutting the prices on their canvasses. Harrison refuses to do this, and for good reason: To some extent art is worth what the artist says it's worth. Harrison has opted for a different strategy, holding the prices on major works, but painting more, smaller canvasses to capture the lower end of the market.
Last year, Harrison's work was exhibited for the first time at the prestigious McMichael Gallery in Toronto, where the Group of Seven are not only on permanent display, but are actually buried (all but one). This year, he'll be participating for the first time at the New York Art Expo, where booth fees and expenses are expected to top $12,000. "We have to be pretty confident we're going to sell paintings, and we are," he says. Next up, Europe, perhaps starting with Switzerland, where there's plenty of money and plenty of landscape. The point is that Harrison continues to push himself. He believes he has the potential to be one of Canada's most important painters, and he's determined to drive toward that goal.
Of course, it's not all business, and to suggest otherwise would be grossly misleading. There's more to art than the mercenary pursuit of money and recognition, and Gordon Harrison would undoubtedly continue to paint, as a hobbyist and for his personal gratification, even if he never sold a canvas in his life. But if you can manage both, if you can be true to yourself, pursue your first love and make a respectable living at it, why not?"
Mark Anderson, Writer, The Ottawa-Citizen
