Harry T. Burleigh
Harry T. Burleigh was initially inspired to sketch as a youngster when he saw the uniqueness in the designs on record album covers. Several years later, he attended his first art class as a junior in high school, where his teacher saw that he had a developing talent and encouraged him to keep sharpening his skills. Many of these skills he sharpened in the margins of his notebooks during chemistry class.
From his youth, he had always believed that art could be produced from any idea or medium. Years would pass, however, before he would feel that he had proven this to anyone. He became bored with representational art and the seemingly dull titles that accompanied so many of these images.
At the age of eighteen, Harry was accepted into the art program at West Virginia University. His philosophy at this time was that it was wise to keep a pool of artistic influences, however foolish to compromise his creative integrity to please the faculty.
Burleigh was constantly drawn to artists whose works involved beauty, strangeness, or emotion. While he did pay close attention to some of the greats, he often wondered why others had become so overrated. He also disagreed with the theory, that everything one might create has already been created in the past. Not so with surrealism, he thought. Not so with abstracts, and while he wasn't intending to elicit a specific response from onlookers, he always had their subconscious impressions in the crosshairs. He later received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art.
After spending a year as a commercial artist for a local television station, Burleigh decided to stop doing art for others and just do it for himself. This led to an extended career in video production, where he found himself writing, producing, and directing. He would continue to do art on the side, but he never showed it to anyone for two decades.
In a twist of fate, while editing one day, Harry stumbled upon a new way to digitally combine imagery in a way that he had never seen it done before. He later tried the technique with a few of his old artistic works and found that it truly had merit.
Harry Burleigh's artwork has now been in the public eye since 2006, although he seldom shows it to the rest of the world. He plans to expand his body of work while refining some of his discovered techniques. Ultimately, he intends to share his ideas openly so that other artists may benefit from and possibly improve upon them.
Harry, you began exploring art at a young age, inspired by the designs on record album covers. How do you think early influences shape an artist's journey, and what advice would you give to someone discovering their artistic passion later in life?
At an early age, I became interested in certain shapes and colors, primarily through magazines, library books, and album covers. I had a deep urge to cut the images out and save them, but this urge was thwarted by my mother. Though I didn't realize it then, I was developing a very crude sense of design and composition. I just viewed it as pictures I liked or didn't like.
I believe that early influences can play out monumentally in any artist's journey, especially if those ideas have been sitting on the back burner for several years. These are the influences that would be a good fire starter for any person attempting to ignite their creative conflagration later in life. They key is not to be intimidated by their own repressed thoughts and ideas.
In your experience, what are some effective strategies that artists, whether young or old, can use to overcome intimidation by the established norms and successes of other artists?
Now more than ever is a time to realize that any rules that are forced upon us academically or through other forms of formal or online training do not needn't be followed, once a person begins doing art for themselves. If art is only produced by emulating the greats, it cannot freely transform into the compositions of the future. In short, much of the produced work would have similarities to older style art without leaving much room for originality.
Artists young or old should pay close attention to the tools and techniques that other artists use. These things can be instrumental in their future endeavors.
While it's difficult to do, one should never compare themselves to other artists when they are intimidated by the speed, imagery, accomplishments, or personalities of others. One way to build confidence in one's work is to get online and look at dozens of international art exhibitions. It will help give a realization that their own work has merit and that there's no need for a lack of self-confidence.
Throughout your career, you have evolved from representational art to exploring more abstract and surreal forms. Can you discuss the significance of evolution in an artist's work and how one can cultivate the courage to depart from mainstream expectations?
A few of my first representational images came to light when I was a junior in high school. However, when I was in chemistry class and had no idea what the teacher was talking about, I found myself sketching small shapes and designs in the margins of my spiral notebook. These images came easily and I found myself more interested in this type of art than that which was representational, but I couldn't quite put a finger on why.
Later in life, I found myself doing commercial imagery for a television station. I was required to do ink drawings of cabinets and station logos, etc. I hated every minute of it. At night when I would return home, I would throw a large sketch pad on the kitchen table, grab a tasty beverage, put on some headphones, and start drawing surrealism in graphite. It was like stepping into another world.
An artist's work will evolve with each passing day. Even if you're not in the studio, you see things. You hear things that influence your imagination. Each time you work with your art your style becomes more galvanized. You become more confident in your own work and courage can often follow. One way of looking at it is, that people can see a barn, a girl on a swing, a sunset, or an old rusty truck whenever they go out into public. The thing to keep in mind is... People get tired of seeing the same old thing every day. Similarly, many people who view or buy art, know that they may get stuck seeing the same boring types of imagery at art exhibitions. If you have a similar feeling, whether you are marketing your work or not, an alternative would be a soft landing into your brilliant imagination. One that involves only those things that come to mind with regard to shape and color. It can prove to be a much more pleasurable experience.
If you think about it, the only pressure on you is that which you place upon yourself.
You took a substantial break from showcasing your work to focus on personal and commercial projects. What insights can you share about the resilience required to maintain one's artistic pursuits amid life's distractions and professional demands?
The break I took from my art had to do with hating the way in which my regular job was asking me to produce it. I went into commercial television which from an artistic standpoint was a massive mistake. While I did learn a lot about television production, and I designed and painted many backgrounds for television sets, there was no room whatsoever for my personal desired creativity. It was all about television. The only work that I was doing was for advertising and it was really not where my head was. I decided to quit trying to make other people happy with my work and to only do art for myself. Truth be told, I simply quit doing art altogether for over two decades. I spent that time learning to produce, direct, and edit for the film and television industry.
When you decide that art is something that you truly wish to do in life, but you realize that life has gotten in the way of these pursuits, it's important that you know that it truly is possible to work around these obstacles, it just takes a lot of perseverance. Distractions and professional demands will always be on the horizon. Think of yourself as a downhill slalom skier trying to miss those flagpoles. It's a problem-solving issue. You need to figure out how to keep life from upending while simultaneously working in your artistic practice. Even if you only get ten or fifteen minutes a day to yourself in order to do so, DO IT! You're already ahead.
Your discovery of a new digital technique for combining imagery was a turning point in your career. What advice would you give to artists who fear that everything that could be created has already been done?
Some things we come across by accident. That's how the X-ray was invented. Along those lines, I was working as an editor when I was testing a new technique with digital images. Only to test with, I had a thumb drive with some of my older paintings on it. I proceeded with my test, only to discover a beautiful result that I never would have expected, had I not used my paintings to experiment with.
It can be truly beneficial not to downplay new and creative artistic methods.
I've always lived in an insistence, that not everything has been done before. Astonishingly enough, I have viewed hundreds of art exhibitions and documentaries, only to discover that most of my ideas have in fact, already been thought of. It is for this reason that I am convinced, that new methodologies and ideas are still untouched, and that there is a vast area for growth in art if we persist in our creative investigations as the world changes.
How has digital technology influenced your artistic process, and what do you think its role is in the future of art, especially for those just beginning their careers or returning to art after a hiatus?
Digital technology has influenced my artistic process in numerous ways. It is often argued that computers, rather than simplifying, end up making things more difficult for various reasons. While there is some truth to this, it would be difficult to keep one's head above water in the art community today without them. Digital technology has been instrumental in both the delivery and exhibition of many of my works.
Currently, there is a battlefield of controversy raging over the introduction of AI and nonfungible tokens. Understandably, it brings into question whether a person is truly an artist or simply a button pusher.
For many who are younger and just getting their feet wet in the art world, part of the battle is already won, because having a good grasp on some of the current computer programs and techniques already puts you in the game. Beyond that, it's simply a matter of adapting these technologies creatively. For those artists returning after a hiatus, it's important not to shy too far from these newer digital developments.
This is now the standard for submitting and in some cases exhibiting your work. It is not necessary for you to become a computer geek in order for you to do so. You simply need to understand a few standard methods for organizing and manipulating your imagery and you'll be fine. Aside from that, the basics of color, design, and composition remain the same.
You've mentioned aiming for the subconscious impressions of onlookers rather than eliciting specific responses. How important is the emotional impact of art in your work, and how do you gauge or seek feedback on this aspect?
Hopefully, the emotional impact of my work will speak for itself. I tend to introduce emotion and sometimes mood by incorporating visual motion and body language. I try to impress this feeling into the minds of the viewers. I don't attempt to gauge or seek feedback directly from the work. I just have faith that it will stop a few people in their tracks just long enough to make a subconscious connection.
You’ve expressed a strong connection to surrealism and abstract art. How do these genres serve as a platform for challenging overrated art norms and conventions?
When pondering the notion that everything artistically has already been done before, this doesn't hold true when you consider the options of abstract and surrealism. These, in my eyes, are the true
doorways into the imagination. While hundreds of techniques have, in fact, already been used, they haven't been sent through the filters of an untapped, budding imagination. Depending on how
creatively an artist incorporates these styles, one might see a vast decrease in the visual monotony often associated with more conventional art forms.
With plans to expand and refine your artistic techniques, what legacy do you hope to leave for the next generation of artists? How important is it for experienced artists to share their methods and discoveries?
While I will be perfectly willing to share any newly refined techniques of my own, I would ultimately like to inspire the next generation of artists, to break conventional rules, experiment artistically whenever possible, and become completely bulletproof to all external criticism as well as their own internal repressed artistic fears. It will free them to produce the nectar of creativity within. Additionally, there's no need to sit on any new discoveries or methodologies. If they are open to sharing, they might see an impact far greater than what they might have been able to produce on their own. These things are imperative in order for the true majesty of the art world to persevere.
Having kept your art private for many years before bringing it to the public eye, what has been your biggest challenge in gaining visibility? What guidance would you offer to artists struggling with the decision of when and how to present their work to the world?
Having kept my art behind closed doors for years, the largest challenge that I faced, once I felt confident enough to exhibit, was the cost. The sticker shock, when it comes to exhibiting, whether you are being represented or not can be rather terrifying. Representation alone can be quite costly as well. I had numerous opportunities to exhibit, but I couldn't afford to actually make good on any of the offers presented. Just because a gallery "discovers you", doesn't mean that working with them won't be expensive. If you are exhibiting publicly, the cost of wall space at a reputable exhibition is astounding.
For the struggling artist in a quandary about when and how to present their work, I would first recommend making sure that your craft is good and that you have a respectable body of work.
Photograph the work in good lighting and make files that can be cropped and sent online. If you do nothing else in your artistic career, make sure you give a title to every piece of art. The last thing anyone wants to see when they are viewing work is "Untitled." Even high-paid artists make this mistake and it's deadly. People will instantly have less to connect with if there is no title. Make it make sense if you can, but even if it makes no sense at all, give it a title. Viewers will still be intrigued.
Copyright the work for protection. Decide if you want the work to be seen for exposure only, or if you want it to be for sale. If you are unsure, ask for professional advice on what your pricing should be.
Research the many options for contests and exhibitions. If you find that presenting your work physically is going to be too expensive, there are quite a few competitions and exhibition offerings where you can exhibit your work digitally without having to ship your originals or be present for the events. This gives you the option to show your work on an international level if you so choose.
As for when to show your work... You'll know when it's time. You've spent many hours over many days trying to perfect what your imagination has brought forth.
Once you figure out the logistics of how you are going to present, it's time to jump in with both feet. If you are juggling a job, a family, and other obstacles simultaneously, then jump in with one foot first, but don't cheat yourself out of the exposure you deserve!