Keith Harder
Keith Harder was born in 1955 in Saskatchewan and grew up in Three Hills, Alberta. He was first introduced to acrylic and oil painting in the high school art program taught by his father. From then, painting became the central feature of his education through two undergraduate degrees, and in 1989, a Master of Visual Arts from the University of Alberta. Upon graduation, Harder began a 36 year career as Professor of Studio Art at the Augustana Campus of the U of A; at the same time he maintained a productive studio practice of his own. Now retired from teaching, Harder focusses on painting and continues to explore his long standing interest in aviation.
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Early in his formative development he was mentored at the University of Calgary by the realist painter John Hall. The formal side of his painting practice was influenced later by abstract painters, Doug Haynes and Phil Darrah at the University of Alberta. Studying other paintings by artists such as Rackstraw Downes, John Salt, and Antonio Lopez Garcia also contributed to Harder’s methods and thought. Eventually he was inspired by Canadian artist Jack Chambers to investigate the numinous quality of the external visual experience and, similarly, chose a descriptive approach as a painting methodology for his investigations.
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In the early years of his practice, a faithfulness to observation dominated his approach. By paying close attention to describing appearances he hoped to reveal moments of import. Initially photographic sources were used but later direct observation was included in certain projects. The descriptive methodology was applied to a variety of subjects and genres, including landscape, still life, and portraiture. Later in his career, narrative features and elements of interpretation and invention have been added into this body of work.
Available Artwork
Divergence #11
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 16 x 12 in
- 2024
- CAD $1700.00
Divergence #8
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 16 x 12 in
- 2023
- CAD $1700.00
Divergence #5
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Rag Paper over Panel
- 12 x 10 in
- 2023
- CAD $1400.00
Divergence #4
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Rag Paper over Panel
- 12 x 10 in
- 2023
- CAD $1400.00
Divergence #3
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Rag Paper over Panel
- 12 x 10 in
- 2023
- CAD $1400.00
Divergence #2
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Rag Paper over Panel
- 12 x 10 in
- 2023
- CAD $1400.00
Divergence #9
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 12 x 16 in
- 2023
- CAD $1700.00
Divergence #1
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 10 x 8 in
- 2023
- CAD $1200.00
Divergence #6
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas
- 16 x 12 in
- 2023
- CAD $1700.00
Divergence #7
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 16 x 12 in
- 2023
- CAD $1700.00
Divergence #10
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 10 x 8 in
- 2024
- CAD $1200.00
Divergence #12
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 10 x 8 in
- 2024
- CAD $1200.00
Divergence #14
- Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas over Panel
- 14 x 14 in
- 2024
- CAD $1700.00
Revised E.T.A.
- Oil on Canvas
- 40 x 40 in
- 2023
- CAD $13700.00
Ill Winds: West
- Acrylic on Canvas
- 92 x 116 in
- 2016
- CAD $33200.00
The Vigil
- Oil on Canvas
- 40 x 32 in
- 2023
- CAD $12400.00
Lost Horizon
- Oil on Canvas
- 32 x 40 in
- 2022
- CAD $12400.00
Navigation Triptych
- Oil on Canvas
- 48 x 108 in
- 2005
- CAD $39000.00
Broken Heart Glasses
- Oil on Canvas
- 36 x 24 in
- 1996
- CAD $9600.00
Cat, Chickens and Sunset
- Oil on Canvas
- 12 x 12 in
- 1990
- CAD $4000.00
Resilience
- Oil on Canvas
- 60 x 40 in
- 2013
- CAD $16000.00
Ragged Patch of Sky: XP-1
- Oil on Panel
- 12 x 12 in
- 2012
- CAD $4000.00
Ragged Patch of Sky: XP-2
- Oil on Panel
- 12 x 12 in
- 2015
- CAD $4000.00
Fishers and Farmers
- Oil on Canvas
- 12 x 12 in
- 1998
- CAD $4000.00
Three O'Clock Sky
- Oil on Canvas
- 50 x 35 in
- 1983
- CAD $13600.00
Observing December
- Oil on Canvas
- 90 x 48 in
- 1989
- CAD $22500.00
Coureurs De Bois
- Oil on Canvas
- 60 x 40 in
- 1996
- CAD $16000.00
Nocturne: Between Home and Away
- Oil on Canvas
- 36 x 48 in
- 2022
- CAD $14600.00
Nocturne: Between the Dark and a Cold Place
- Oil on Canvas
- 36 x 48 in
- 2022
- CAD $14600.00
Ill Winds: Fore-Runner
- Acrylic on Canvas
- 36 x 36 in
- 2014
- CAD $11700.00
Lift Here
- Oil on Canvas
- 36 x 24 in
- 2015
- CAD $10200.00
Resolve
- Oil on Canvas
- 60 x 48 in
- 2011
- CAD $17500.00
In Transit 3
- Oil on Canvas
- 18 x 24 in
- 2020
- CAD $7200.00
A Futility of Heroes
- Oil on Canvas
- 24 x 36 in
- 2017
- CAD $10200.00
In Transit 1
- Oil on Panel
- 30 x 20 in
- 2019
- CAD $8500.00
Hunters & Gatherers
- Oil on Canvas
- 12 x 12 in
- 1997
- CAD $4000.00
Exceptional Sales
Prairie Train
- Oil on Canvas
- 16 x 28 in
- 1987
- Sold
Between Terminus and Genesis: A Symphony for the Falling Dark - Keith Harder
- Oil on Panel
- 40 x 60 in
- 2020
- Sold
Ill Winds: North
- Acrylic on Canvas
- 69 x 93 in
- 2015
- Sold
In Transit 2
- Oil on Panel
- 24 x 20 in
- 2019
- Sold
Time Fault: October Morning
- Oil on Canvas
- 33 x 48 in
- 1981
- Sold