Bradley Harness - Artist
A lifelong artist, Brad has been drawing and painting since childhood, when he sold his first work in grade school, and oil painting of the schooner Bluenose. Since then he has deepened his skills (Ottawa School of Art) and exercised his talent. Enjoy what you see on this website and feel free to purchase any piece of Brad's original fine art through this site. Art will be shipped to you. Many of Brad's works are on display at the new BANNERLAND! gallery located at 71 Front Street West, Strathroy, Ontario, west of London (phone 519-245-6116).
Penguins, Shackleton Island, Antarctic
16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas, finished edges, ready to hang - 2010
Artist's Notes: Penguins...who doesn't love 'em? Here we have a group playing follow the leader as a cruise ship comes in close for tourists to take pictures. My brother took this one specifically for me as requested, and it is set on Shackleton Island, a British possession at the northern tip of the southern continent pointing to the bottom of South America. The island is also famous for being a haven for British Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. After the race to the South Pole ended in December 1911 with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately the inhabited island of South Georgia, a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles and Shackleton's most famous exploit.
Tombstone Valley, Yukon
16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas, finished edges, ready to hang - 2010
Artist's Notes: Canada's northern Yukon Territory has had it's place in the mythology of the country. The epic Klondike Goldrush in 1899 brought 50,000 fortune seekers to The Yukon. Tombstone Park is named for the isolation and appearance of the mountains seen here in the distance. The foliage can vary from drab to incredibly colourful, and wildlife is abundant.
Arctic Rainbow In Midnight Sun Fog
16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas, finished edges, ready to hang - 2009
Artist's Notes: This scene has little to do with global warming and everything to do with the natural weather up north in Nunavut: Midnight sun means 24-hour daylight in summer, and on this day sea fog, along with the summer break-up of the pack ice, and by good luck, a rainbow!
My Life
30"x40" acrylic on stretched canvas, finished edges, ready to hang - 2008
Artist's Notes: The concept behind this canvas was that life is a struggle, as the Bhudda said. It seems to be always uphill & challenging. We all strive to reach the summit. In the north it is cold, and a bland palette in winter. The weak Arctic sun hangs in the sky for a brief time, but that fleeting elusive orb is our goal. The dogsled is a traditional symbol of Arctic life, and symbolizes the harmony between Man and Nature.
Polar Bears On Ice Pack, Churchill, Manitoba
16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas, finished edges, ready to hang, 2009
Artist's Notes: Churchill, Manitoba is the only deep water seaport on the Arctic Ocean, perched on Hudson's Bay. Global trade has made the port valuable and less so at times. It was once a fur trade outpost and a stone fortress, and much later a US Air Base and a Canadian rocket test range for space research. Now the locals rely on tourism, specifically polar bear watching, and to a lesser extent beluga whale watching, for their livelihood. Here we see four bears - one in the foreground, three sleeping farther back, on the sea ice. This sunset view adds purple tones to the brilliant yellow of the sun. Polar bears in Churchill are facing threats from melting sea ice, which they rely upon for their hardy existence.
Up Close & Personal, Churchill, Manitoba
SOLD - 16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas, finished edges, ready to hang - 2013
Artist's Notes: This was a study in black and white, with major texture work on the fur. In winter, very fine snow blowing about will turn the sky from blue to white, obscuring visibility. And then, up close, comes the bear!
