Harold Pickern

I was born in 1947 and raised in rural northern California. As a child drawing was my favorite pastime. In school I was the kid that the teachers came to when they needed drawings or scenery, etc. I studied art and art education at Phoenix City College and Arizona State University. In contrast to the highly designed and sophisticated appliances and architecture that we live with, I look for the more subtle evidence of the history of our lives. My subjects speak about the passing of people and the things that they leave behind. One of my favorite themes is portraying discarded objects or forgotten places (and sometimes people) that I find on my frequent road trips. Wherever I am my attention is drawn to the periphery which is where the unintended scene is set. Using notes, sketches, and a camera, I compose a painting and capture enough information about the subject to take into the studio.