Mitch Harper’s art is representational, yet whimsical, and he loves to use his art to tell a story. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has been active on the local art scene for many years, including as a jurist for the Immaculata Art Shows.
His table this year chronicles the life cycle of the sea turtle. Starting with an overview on the front of the table, including other critters in the sea, a listing of the varieties of sea turtles in a faux book shelf painted to look like pieces of driftwood and the hatching of a baby turtle from one of the replaced knobs that is painted to look like an egg and hollowed out to show the space vacated by the hatchling. Continuing around the table, one can see the mother turtle laying her eggs in the dunes, the hatchlings scurrying to the ocean to avoid predators and the life of a juvenile turtle undersea.
The combination of carvings and the use of pearlescent paint give the table a tactile and glowing quality that adds to the quality of the depiction.
Mitch Harper is a second year Art of Caring artist!