We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Geno Harris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Geno, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I always knew that I wanted to pursue a creative path, for the longest time I believed and sought after a career in music, gospel music more specifically. However, life had other plans. It was only after watching a DIY show and seeing a well known interior designer create a wall treatment from grocery bags that looked like suede, I focused on a smaller application using decorative paper to create my own works of art and it blossomed into a 20yr career as an artist.

Geno, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a visual artist, more specifically an abstract expressionist. My chosen medium is a handmade/dyed japanese paper called “Lokta”. I began my creative journey in 2003 after having been employed by the DIA since 2000. I worked in the Modern and Contemporary Art Department and was, I think subconsciously inspired by the myriad of works that I saw daily especially the more abstract works. I began with definitive purpose to create art as a way to express myself with the added benefit of beautifying my living space. As luck would have it an art gallery moved into one of the commercial spaces and the gallery owner saw my work and asked me to exhibit work and the rest is history. After a year of forging ahead creating work, I found it difficult showing it and getting any kind of guidance and support which I could only think happened because I was self-taught and emerging. Out of frustration I Co-founded an artist group called Poor Man’s Art Collective who’s sole purpose was to connect with and provide networking opportunities, guidance navigating submitting work to exhibitions and galleries and most importantly unfettered access to a platform to show their work.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

What drives me is the freedom to express myself creatively, and sharing that drive with other self-taught artist who have become disenfranchised with the process that often excludes emerging and self-taught artists. My form of art uses an old technique called “decoupage” which for a long time was not considered to be fine art. Through years of trial and error my work has evolved to mimic that of painted works and I am gratified by that because I took an established technique, elevated it and created a new way to make art. I am an advocate for nontraditional artists who use different techniques and materials to make beautiful works of art that can stand as a testament to their hard work.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe that as much as society needs the more structured ways of thinking such as math and the sciences. I believe that art and the access to pursue it provides the needed counterbalance that gives people many different avenues to explore to give back to a world that most assuredly would benefit from different points of view.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.facebook.com/Onegsirrah69
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onegsirrah/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geno.harris1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA4xnx7DYJ7eijGKV_XimQ

Image Credits
all works created by Geno Harris