grady harp

Grady Harp is a recognized as a champion of Representational Art in the roles of curator, lecturer, panelist, writer of art essays, poetry, critical reviews of literature, art and music, and as a gallerist. He has presented premiere artists from throughout the world for such exhibitions as WADE REYNOLDS: Full Circle Retrospective, BODY LANGUAGE: Current Figurative Painters, INDOMITABLE SPIRITS: The Figure at the End of the Century and MEMENTO MORI: Contemporary Still Life. He has produced exhibitions for the Arnot Art Museum in New York, Fresno Museum of Art, Nevada Museum of Art, National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, and Cleveland State University Art Gallery and has served as a contributing artistic advisor for universities and colleges throughout California, in Berlin, the Centro Cultural de Conde Duque in Madrid, and in Oslo. From 1996 - 1998 his collaborative exhibition, WAR SONGS: Metaphors in Clay and Poetry from the Vietnam Experience toured the United States. Harp is a frequent contributor to books on fine art (POWERFULLY BEAUTIFUL), is a Reviewer for POETS & ARTISTS magazine, and a contributor for books associated with the Ivy Press LTD in England.

• In Jupiter's Shadow on Dec. 14, 2009
  (no rating)
  IN JUPITER’S SHADOW by Gregory Gerard ‘I couldn’t solve the mystery of my sexuality.’ One of the literary pleasures of this year is the discovery of a gifted new writer by the name of Gregory Gerard. Though IN JUPITER’S SHADOW is his first venture into the world of the novel, Gerard gives notice of a writer of great skill and a mind capable of understanding and relating the manner of thinking and coping with the world that faces the developing young people of today. This is a story rich in content, in conveying the parameters of life in a family surrounded by the tradition of the Roman Catholic view of life yet sharing the many methods of hiding inconsistencies from the Confessional on the part of both parents and children, of the influence of the times between the years 1979 and 1984 on the maturing of teenagers, and of the struggle and turmoil of coping with sexuality that faces so many of the youngsters (and adults) paralyzed by the expectations of society. Yes, this is a coming of age story but it is so much more. With this book Gregory Gerard enters the arena of the best of authors who deal with the struggles of boys becoming men in Middle America (and throughout the country). The main character, Greg, is a young lad who has always preferred living in the world of make believe, patterning his world view after the character detective Jupiter, a chubby but oh so wise and clever fictional boy who leads the pack in a series of books called ‘The Three Investigators.’ Gerard opens his book with some family background in 1973 where we meet his family – Drinking Dar the alcoholic father, The Booker his coping organized mother, his five older siblings including a delicate portrayal of a brain injured brother Paul, Greg’s sobriquet as ‘The Caboose’ (suggesting his place in line of a family that could have easily done without him), his funky Gram who has terms for everything, and the various priests whose influence is felt at every turn. From this starting point Gerard allows us to grow along with and accompany Greg through his adventures as a detective, as a boy who longs to be ‘normal’ but who prefers boys as his night dream stimulators for his forbidden acts of release. Bouncing back and forth between the years 1979 and 1984 (a very clever and well devised method of introducing and explaining a child’s progress) Gerard comfortable takes us through Greg’s steps towards finding his identity: as Greg chronicles his life he writes in his journals ‘Gram’s death. Longing to be a priest. The Bathtub. Adam. Building Headquarters, Saint Mike’s graduation. Going to McQuaid. Robberies at Gerard’s Grocery. Prayers for normalcy. Backrubs with Bob. Roy’s death.’ Each of these notations represents featured incidents in the boy’s progress to find himself and become the man he is despite the stumbles in the way of his journey. This is a story of the rigors of accepting self, especially when that self happens to be at odds with society. Gerard has the sensitivity to allow the quasi-dysfunctional family to still bear the fond memories even the worst of families retain in each of our minds. He also is kind to the influences of the variety of priests from the Catholic Church who influence the various steps in Greg’s development. And he allows us to witness and experience the delicacy and trauma of falling in love, even when falling in love imports the same sex variety. IN JUPITER’S SHADOW is one of those books the reader wishes would never end, so welcome and treasureable is the journey with Greg – a young man we all grow to love and admire. Filled to the brim with brilliant writing, with page after page of hilarious storyline, and equally suffused with sensitivity for issues of living and dying we all learn to face, IN JUPITER”S SHADOW is a little dream of a book. Very Highly Recommended for all readers. Grady Harp, Los Angeles, California
  
• Kiwi in Cat City on May 24, 2011
  
  Reverse Anthropomorphism: An Entertaining and Educational Book for Youngsters of All Ages By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Kiwi in Cat City Vickie Johnstone, whom most of us know as a poet of promise, has branched out into the world of children's literature and if her inaugural book is any indication of what lies ahead, she proves that she has what it takes to create stories that not only capture the minds of youngsters but also the glued attention of the adult readers as well. She understands well that adventure and mystery and fantasy are the ingredients that hold a youngster's attention, but at the same time she appreciates the fact that without the use of humor and a solid bit of 'connect' to real life that some children might have bad dreams if this were a bedtime story. Amy and James are two young children who live comfortably in a home with parents: security is assured. They happen to 'own' a chubby cat they named Kiwi and one night, with parents asleep, curiosity gets the better of them as they observe Kiwi outside staring at the moon. Wondering what Kiwi does for snacks and breakfast they follow their nocturnal cat only to discover that Kiwi talks, can transform herself in a purple mist to become invisible, and furthermore Kiwi instructs Amy and James to imagine they are cats and poof! the transformation occurs! Now the newly named Ames and Jimster enter Cat World where all manner of living conditions mimic human cities, with Meow Cafés, Meow Markets, and even a police station where the three adventurers meet Inspector Furrball who shares with them a Cat Crime in progress: Catnappings have been occurring every Monday and Furrball assigns Cat Squaddie member Paws to assist the trio in resolving the mystery of the missing five catizens. The adventure is well paced and is populated with interesting characters and dilemmas and situations - all of which challenge Kiwi, Ames and Jimster to solve the well designed mystery. In addition to telling a terrific little story, Vickie Johnstone has inserted plays on words, all-too-human situations and prejudices and flaws that make her speaking cats symbols for human foibles. Her introduction of advanced words bantered about by malapropisms encourages children to think up a step without stopping the flow of the tale. All of the ingredients for involving youngsters in the love of reading are here. KIWI IN CAT CITY is a great start in what appears to be a promised series of adventures for those who love books - human beings of all ages! Grady Harp, May 11
  
• My Funny Valentine on Jan. 10, 2012
  (no rating)
  Finding the Humor in the Traditional Valentine's Day Karla Telega and Linton Robinson are the ones responsible for collecting this hilarious group of stories and opinions about that celebrated day of love - Valentine's Day. Subtitled `America's Most Hilarious Writers Take On Love, Romance, and Other Complications' this is one of those `must have' books not only because it is terrific reading but also because it has a lot to say about contemporary relationships. To give the reader an idea of how the book flows, some `chapters' are included below. `Married - So Very Married' by Joan Oliver Emmer tries to remember all holidays for Valentine's Day `I'm lucky if I remember to grab a card and make a jello mold'. Gregg Podolski in `Be Romantic or Die' states `guys fall into one of two categories; 1. Men who buy expensive, thoughtful gifts several days before Februery 14th and 2. Men who haven't recently been caught having an affair' and how he handles the annual situation. Barry Parham offers a lengthy and pithy `A Comedy of Eros' dealing with searching for Valentines that aren't packaged in packs of six! Leigh Anne Jasheway gives us `Playing Valentine's Day by the Rules' - a diatribe on a woman's view of how men behave on this day of love.... There are pages of Contemporary Candy Heart Slogans (Too Tiny, No Pubes, Rug Burns, Fix Teeth, Try Soap, etc), Valentine Verses by Dorothy Rosby, Valentine `Report Cards' (hilarious bits by Barb Best), Cartoons, multiple languages that express the way to say `I Love You', a survey by Robert G. Farrell on "Husbandology', pages of cute quotations by famous people on the subject of love and valentines, updated expressions for the day such as `I (Heart) V-Day by Cammy May Hunnicutt, and other funny bits such as Dawn Weber's `Love Among the Nudists.' There are poems for the occasion, comments on quality of presents - the list just goes on and on for 150 pages. At the end of the book are brief biographies of the `Amazing Humorists' - news to many of us and kudos to a crew of writers who are very in the know about love and relationships. This is a little treasure of a book with some of the most terse humor being written today! Grady Harp