Biography
Harry Pidgeon is an award winning Australian painter of land, marine and
naturescapes. His works are held in numerous public, corporate and
private collections including British Royal, Australian Vice Regal and
Government, and in Brazil, Chile, Canada, Japan, the Philippines and the
USA.
When nature and art touch each other they become one, this is how
Harry grew up in rural New England with its backdrop of thunderhead
clouds, mountains, ravines, and small townships. Constantly going bush,
observing nature, birds and animals he was always drawing and painting.
As a keen observer of nature he was regularly painting outdoors by the
age of seven with the Adult Art Education students from the Armidale
Teacher’s College. From the beginning he loved the bush’s nuances and
throughout his life has walked, camped, canoed, studied and painted its
many discourses.
It was always Harry’s intention to be a painter and by the time he
arrived at The National Art School in Sydney he was using watercolours
with the force of oils. He was strongly influenced by the work of Paul
Klee, Edward Hopper, Lyonel Feininger and Wayne Thiebaud, all of whom
had early careers in the world of mass communications. It was no
digression that after graduating Harry decided to join the then largest
advertising agency in the world - the American owned J. Walter Thompson
Company as a graphic artist and an art director working on national and
international accounts.
In the early 80’s Harry segued to painting full time and over a 5 year
period won more than 50 art awards in Sydney, Brisbane and interstate
regional centres. Concentrating on exhibiting, his career now includes
28 solo or feature artist exhibitions and dozens of group shows.
Galleries exhibited at include: Barry Stern, Trevor Victor Harvey,
Holdsworth, Philip Bacon, Red Hill, Riverhouse, Schubert, Cooks Hill,
Eddi Glastra, Bell Gallery and CAZ and Biota in Los Angeles USA.
Described as a Modern Realist Painter of Landscape and Nature
Harry’s paintings reflect an intense ‘world of colour’. His works move
with ease between those that create a feeling of unbounded space, and
those that explore the intimate world of nature where birds and flowers,
shapes and patterns co-exist.
Often as overviews or bird’s eye views that dispense with an horizon his
marinescapes move between the solid picture plane of trawlers, jetties,
and boat sheds into a three dimensional play of reflections and
shadows. In these as in his landscapes and ‘overview’ landscapes instead
of dissolving outline, he seeks luminosity and atmosphere within a bold
construction of form.
Harry has worked and travelled extensively in the USA and Europe; has
been a guest lecturer at schools and universities and has had many
articles written about his work. Under licence his works have been
reproduced as limited editions (Origin International Publishing Aust.),
greeting cards,and placemats.


