Geometric art of a yellow-bellied sapsucker by artist Charley Harper. Bird has a red head and black and white wings, and is pecking at an olive-green colored tree.
Charley Harper’s geometric artwork of a yellow-bellied sapsucker. Credit: Charley Harper

The art exhibit Curious by Nature: Works of Charley and Edie Harper is now on view at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH).

The exhibit will be open open through Sept. 10.

Displayed in the museum’s Courtyard Gallery, 86 serigraphs form a parade of striking wildlife featuring the playful sensibility of Charley and his wife and artistic partner Edie.

“Charley Harper’s whimsical renderings of nature encourage the viewer to think beyond an animal’s shape and color and consider their behaviors and environment,” said Krista Fahy, SBMNH curator of vertebrate zoology.

Born on a farm in West Virginia in 1922, Charley Harper was enthralled by the surrounding wildlife. He developed his style in the context of mid-century modernism, focusing on animals and nature. His method was to distill an animal’s form into its most basic essence of color and shape.

Often finding drama in even the most everyday subjects, his art combines elegant forms with shrewdly observed details. The works in Curious by Nature span the late 1960s to the early ’80s, from the heart of the Harpers’ careers.

Curious by Nature contains a dedicated space for children to create their own geometric interpretations of animal life and read about nature.

The exhibit is organized by Springfield Museum of Art and Fowler Artistic LLC.

A collection of books, clothing, wall décor, accessories and stationery is available for purchase at the Museum Store.

The exhibit is included with museum admission; and free for museum members.