Born in Dorset, England, 1956. Died 2022

Studied at Bournemouth College of Art (1975-6), Camberwell School of Art, (1976-7), Brighton Polytechnic, (1977-79), the Slade School of Art, (1979-81, B.A.) and Goldsmiths College, (1989-91, M.A.).

Harris is an artist who, for over twenty years, has followed the self-imposed discipline of confining herself in paintings, drawings, watercolours and prints to the use of the single motif: the ellipse. The outline of the oval shape is invariably embellished rather than smooth, providing rich scope for variations. Other rules she sets herself include a limit of two colours in each work and applying paint in a uniform pattern of parallel brushstrokes, using different widths of brush for the motif and the surrounding space. She sees this practice as continuous research into the relationship between surface, colour and light within two-dimensional space.

Since 1990 Harris has been a regular exhibitor in London and many galleries elsewhere in the UK; in 1996 two shows in Germany marked the advent of an international reputation now attested by subsequent exhibitions in Prague, Stuttgart, Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich, Turin and New York among other overseas centres. In 2010/2011 she was included in ‘The Indiscipline of Painting’ exhibition shown at Tate St Ives and the Mead Gallery, University of Warwick.

Harris’ work has been acquired for the Arts Council Collection, the Government Art Collection, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Southampton City Art Gallery and many corporate and private collections.

The Parting