Meredith Gabel Harris Art, Davidson, NC
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, I grew in a family who encouraged a love and appreciation of the arts. My parents took my sister Laura and me to museums on family travels and made a point to encourage learning about artists. Laura and I loved to play the game, Masterpiece, which was where we first learned about fine artists. I took a few art courses in college, while pursing a degree in psychology, and have continued my interest in art through classes over the years, but am mostly self-taught. I graduated from Davidson College with a BA in Psychology and from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with an MA in Counseling (side note: it doesn’t work on your own family). Currently I live and paint in Davidson, North Carolina.
Inspired by impressionist and post-impressionist painters, I am interested in light, shadows, and the changing colors throughout the day. I’m still a Florida girl at heart and my love of Florida and the Southeast coast shows in my paintings. Inspiration comes from growing up in Florida: camping at the natural springs, visiting the Everglades, enjoying the beach, participating in shell shows, and boating on the St. John’s river and the Intracoastal Waterway. I am also inspired by family time spent at the beach and on the marsh in South Carolina each summer as well as travels abroad. My kids make fun of me for always pointing out things in nature!
I predominantly uses a palate knife in my acrylic paintings and layer paints to create a thick surface with myriad colors showing through. My focus is on landscapes, the peaceful intracoastal waterways, the low country, and love of travel. I try to capture the details and quirks of nature in my watercolors, mainly focusing on still life.