Born: Annapolis, Maryland, 1946.
Subject Matter: Landscapes, Marine Subjects, Figures, Portraits, Music Subjects, Automotive Subjects
Style of work: Realist/Representational
Media: Printmaking (Lithography, Intaglio, Relief Prints, Serigraphy), Watercolor, Graphite, Pen & Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylics, Oils
Exhibitions:
2008 Premier Planning Group corporate offices, Annapolis, MD., Solo exhibition: Motor Cars!
McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, 2008, Group Exhibition: Best of the Chesapeake
The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD. Image & Imagination: Anne Arundel County Juried Exhibition
McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Group Exhibition: Annapolis: A Living History
2007 Maryland Hall of the Arts, Annapolis, MD. Group Exhibition: Brushes With Music
2006 McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Gallery Artist Exhibition
2005 Virginia International Raceway, Danville, VA., Official Artist: Volvo Grand Prix,
McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Gallery Artist Exhibition
The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, Group Exhibition: Reflections
2004 The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, Anne Arundel County Juried Exhibition
2004 The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, St. John’s College Community Art Exhibition.
2003 49 West Wine Bar and Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Group Exhibition: Four Townies
2003 The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, St. John’s College Community Art Exhibition.
2002 The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, St. John’s College Community Art Exhibition.
2000 The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, Chairs! Chairs! Chairs! Exhibition and Silent Auction.
1999 Main Street Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Solo Exhibition: Marine Images
Washington County Council of the Arts, Hagerstown, MD, Solo Exhibition: Bluesmen and Guitars
Calvert Marine Museum, Solomon’s MD, Solo Exhibtion: Working the Chesapeake
1998 Bendann Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Group Exhibition: Anniversary Gala
49 West Wine Bar and Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Solo Exhibition: Recent Works
Main Street Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Group Exhibition: Three Artists
1997 Washington Institute for Creative Activity, Washington, DC, Solo Exhibition: Cars and Guitars
1997 Bendann Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Group Exhibition: Anniversary Gala
1996 State Capital Building, Annapolis, MD, Group Exhibition: Lighthouses of the Chesapeake
West Annapolis Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Solo Exhibition: The Blues Singers
1995 Bendann Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Group Exhibition: Anniversary Gala
1994 McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Gallery Artist Exhibition
Bendann Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Group Exhibition: Anniversary Gala
Carmen’s Art Gallery, Solomon’s, MD, Spring Annual Exhibition
Anne Marie Gardens, Solomon’s, MD, Annual Invitational Exhibition
1993 Bendann Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Group Exhibition: Anniversary Gala
1993 Carmen’s Art Gallery, Solomon’s, MD, Wildlife Exhibition
McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, Gallery Artist Exhibition
1992 Gallery 44, Ellicott City, MD, Solo Exhibition: Prints and Watercolors
Carmen’s Art Gallery, Solomon’s, MD, Group Exhibition: Quiet Hours
Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT, Juried Show: Mystic International Exhibition **Prize: Award of Excellence
World Trade Center, Baltimore, MD, Solo Exhibition: Chesapeake Images
Francis Scott Key Auditorium Lobby, St. John’s College, MD, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Group Show
1991 Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT, American Society of Marine Artists Group Exhibition.
Bendann Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Group Exhibition: Anniversary Gala
William Paca House, Annapolis, MD, Solo Exhibition: The Old Severn River Bridge
Javits Center, New York, NY, ArtExpo ’91
1990 Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, MD, American Society of Marine Artists Exhibition
Awards 2008 Annie Award in category of Visual Art. Since the year 2000 the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County has awarded six Annie Awards each fall to honor achievements of artists living and working in this area. In the years following the first Annies, the awards have become known throughout the country, serving as a model of recognition and encouragement. The Annies carry a great deal of prestige, and honor individuals who have made a lasting, significant and inspiring contribution in their respective fields of art
Thirteenth Annual Mystic International Exhibition. Harpe’s watercolor “Off Season – Deal Island” received an Award of Excellence by Judges Walter Cronkite and Ray Ellis.
Periodicals Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Sept. 1987, “The Chesapeake Images of Neil Harpe, by Jack Greer.
Book Neil Harpe, “The Stella Guitar Book,” Stella Books, Ltd., 2005
Periodical The Fretboard Journal, September, 2008, “For Working Stiffs, the Life and Times of Baltimore luthier, Carl C. Holzapfel,” by Neil Harpe
Books Illustrated Ted Gioia, “Delta Blues,” W.W. Norton, 2008
John M. Scanlan, “Dink Ga-Dink,” Book Masters, 2005
Mark E. Jacoby, “Working the Chesapeake,” University of Maryland Publications, 1991
Professional Taught College Art, 1977-1984, Corcoran School of Art, Northern Virginia Community College and University of Maryland University College.
Juried Membership American Society of Marine Artists
Collections Participant in "Art in the Embassies Program", U.S. State Dept., work displayed in U.S. Embassies throughout the globe.
Art work in many private and corporate collections, including U.S. Naval Academy, the Beverly Robinson Collection of Naval &
Marine Art, Calvert Marine Museum, Westinghouse and the U.S. Department of State.
Education MFA George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1977 (printmaking)
BFA Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, 1973 (multi-media)
4-Year Diploma - Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C., 1969 (graphics), 1st prize in graphics - 1969 Corcoran Concours.
Post Graduate Study, Atelier North Star, Burlington, VT with master lithographer Mel Hunter.
Parallel to his visual art career, the multi-talented artist has been an active performer all his adult life and is an accomplished guitarist, performing at many venues. Neil has performed for the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, Herndon Blues Festival, Smithsonian Associates, Hirshhorn Museum (in conjunction with Black History Month), Washington Folk Festival, Takoma Park Folk Festival, Northern Virginia Folk Festival, Quiet Waters Park and the D.C. Blues Festival. He recorded an LP entitled "Neil Harpe", for Adelphi Records in 1972. In the past couple of years, Harpe has released a solo CD, a collaborative CD with longtime friend Max Ochs and an album of blues duets with his daughter Erin Harpe. Along with longtime musical partner Rick Franklin, he has also released two albums of blues and "hokum" ragtime duets.
Harpe has amassed a sizeable collection of “Stella” guitars and has written a book about them. Made between 1900 and 1937, they were the guitars of choice for such blues performers as Charley Patton, Willie Brown and Lead Belly. He has a website devoted to buying, selling and purveying information about these instruments and in 2005 he published “The Stella Guitar Book.”