Nicholas Harper has gained national notoriety for his award winning paintings and gallery, the Rogue Buddha, being featured in numerous local, national and international publications including CNN where he was named as an artist to watch and most recently, in GQ Magazine.

In this memorable and sophisticated body of work, Harper builds upon classical portraiture through his unique style in which he combines realism with fantasy and atmospheric or darkly rich backgrounds in an aim to celebrate the divine and worldly aspects of the individual while exploring the tension inherent in our daily lives. 

While seemingly bizarre on the surface, Harper’s artwork never fails to elicit a reaction – be it visceral, intellectual, or something in between – from its viewers, who speak of its “emotional texture,” “warmth coming through the dark,” and “simultaneous alienation and accessibility.”

His works are arresting because they pull from celebrated artistic themes and techniques while forging a new style of discourse under the guise of haunting beauty.

Harper states, “Through my personal symbolism, I wish each painting to be as the Byzantine and Russian icons were, objects of meditation and inner reflection for the viewer as well as adding beauty to the environment and connecting us to something bigger than ourselves.”