About the Artist

I have an unshakeable belief in Faith, Family, Friends.

That’s my core, How I live my life. It is what inspires me to create.

When you enter my creative world, I want you to **FEEL** something . A tug at the old heart strings. Perhaps a distant memory you stored away. A love lost, or a love found, A touch of the spirit. **SOMETHING**. While on your visit please take notice of the elongated extremities which are exaggerated and point to a special emphasis of the **hands**, denoting the importance and power of the human touch. Arms that extend and envelope to welcome you in, a friendly reminder that you are loved. Perhaps the texture of the pieces pulled you in and caught your eye? Through the piecing of collage, I create texture and pattern. I’ve always admired the interweaving found in the wonderful quilts of my grandmothers. Their homemade quilts evoke a feeling of comfort, love, caring and family. What they achieved with a needle and thread, I try to achieve with collage and mixed media. I believe our stories are still being told, retold and entwined through the piecing together of torn papers, found objects, paint palette and love.
I have often been questioned about my artistic process. I begin each piece of work as an abstract type painting. I literally just have fun with acrylic paint or any water medium. From there they develop into figurative images, then comes the collage. For me, it’s a **spiritual** journey, it’s where I commune with the spirit and from that visit, my art unfolds. Perhaps it could be compared to discovering hidden figures or objects within the clouds. My life’s work has a theme. If you look close you will notice that quite a few of my images appear to have closed eyes. This is purposely created and based on **2 Corinthians 5:7** **“ For we walk by faith, not by sight”**. *“With Eyes Closed “*we are required to call upon a deeper sense than the sometimes unbelieving and bias observations of the eyes… We are required to **FEEL** love.
Thanking you in advance for allowing me to share my story of **Love**, **Faith** and **Hope** .
Enjoy your visit and **Be Blessed**.
April

About the Artist

South Carolina native April W Harrison creates rich mixed-media paintings that reveal her unshakeable belief in the strength of faith, family and friendship. Her adept use of color and collaging with speciality paper and magazine prints, as well as her audacious re-purposing of found objects in her work, add a physical reality and a quilt-like quality that roots it firmly within an African American artistic tradition.

A self-taught artist who has been professionally involved in art for 20 plus years, and an award winning artist and illustrator, Harrison has achieved a great measure of success and popular acclaim. Her work has been featured at numerous venues nationwide, including the Morris Museum of Art,GA ; Hampton University Museum, VA; Spartanburg County Museum of Art, SC; Greenville County Museum of Art, SC; and the Romare Bearden Juried Invitational by David C. Driskell at Charlotte’s Mint Museum.

Galleries

Mackey Twins Art Gallery, Mt Vernon, NY

Just Lookin’ Gallery, Hagerstown, MD

Black Art In America, East Point, GA

Public Collections

Atlanta Housing Authority, GA | Vanderbilt University, VA | Erskine University Museum Collection, SC | Sarah Collins Elementary ,SC | St Anthony of Padua Catholic School,SC

Publishers

Random House Kids , NY

Little Brown Books, NY

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, NY

Just Us Books- Crown Books for Young Readers, NY

Private Collections

Broadcast Media

Black Mafia Family- Atlanta

Publication Media

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATOR FROM 2016- PRESENT

I have dreamed of becoming an illustrator since I began my artistic journey in 1997. I thought it would be wonderful to see faces like mine on everything from books to bedspreads and everything in between! But no matter how many times I submitted my portfolio to the different publishing houses, I was turned down. I decided that God had other plans for me so I placed “illustration” on the back burner and concentrated on my fine art career.

In 2016, I was approached by Schwartz and Wade, an imprint of Penguin Random House about possibly illustrating a children’s picture book. I jumped at the opportunity ! But wait a minute, there was a catch! In order to be selected for this opportunity, I had to do one fully executed page of the book so that they could determine if it was the right “feel” Let’s just say the rest is history, I got the job and my first illustrated book,”What Is Given From The Heart” by Patricia McKissack went on to win the 2020 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Illustrator . I have learned from this experience that “delay” does not mean “denial” it’s all about God’s timing for your life and I feel that He saved the best for last.

Illustrated Books

WHAT IS GIVEN FROM THE HEART

Patricia McKissack-2019

Publisher-Schwartz & Wade books/Penguin Random House, NY

**2020 CORETTA SCOTT KING-JOHN STEPTOE AWARD WINNER FOR NEW ILLUSTRATOR

**2019 CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOKS**

**** 4 STAR REVIEWS****

THE TALK Conversations about Race, Love & Truth: “TEN”

Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson-2020

Tracey Baptiste [Ten]

Publisher-Just Us Books/Crown Books for Young Readers, NY

Me and the Boss

Michelle Edwards-2022

Publisher-Anne Schwartz Books/Penguin Random House, NY

2023 Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner**

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NANA AKUA GOES TO SCHOOL

Tricia Elam Walker-2020

Publisher-Schwartz & Wade Books/Penguin Random House, NY

** 2021 CABA -CHILDRENS AFRICANA BOOK AWARD WINNER*

**** 4 STAR REVIEWS****

LEGACY Women poets of the Harlem Renaissance: “A MOTHER’S LAMENT”

Nikki Grimes-2020

Publisher-Bloomsbury, NY

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM DARED

Alicia D. Williams-2021

Publisher- Anne Schwartz Books/Penguin Random House , NY

H IS FOR HARLEM

Dinah Johnson -2021

Publisher-Macmillan, NY

*****5 STAR REVIEWS*****