Andy Illustrated

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I L L U S T R A T E D

andyharrisashaesthetic.com

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work in progress For years I had a rule that I now

find ridiculous, most likely along with anyone whom I’ve ever told.

If I were to start a drawing and discard it not touching it

for more than a year, I could not add to it or

alter it in any way. It would simply sit and rot away.

My belief was that you could not establish a mind frame or psy-

che matching that at the time in which the art was initially created. I’m now convinced that this notion is complete

bullshit. I went against the grain on this drawing Ode to Rube, which serves as my

time-killer in between projects; it’s sitting out on my drawing table right now and I’ve been “working” on

this piece for a couple years. The illustration began as a design for a client, a chain

reaction, yet when it came time to submit the idea; it was decided to be too conceptual. I stashed it away in the dead artwork abyss where it collected dust and no more than a few random glances here and there. Then one day, I decided to pull it out of its tomb to see the light of day once again and

came up with the idea to continue the drawing with a similar end goal, now under the guise of a tribute of sorts to Rube

Goldberg. I now embrace the idea of picking something up at random and

having the ability to re-establish the feelings behind the inspira-tion. As a matter of fact, I see it as adaptability and by that token- a

virtue. The idea of being ok with change, chance, is larger than just drawing too. As a designer, I think it’s important to reserve the ability

to change something and potentially fuck it up completely. Entertain new ideas and always keep things fresh and unexpected, that’s the key.

It’s the ability to see something in a new light and resurrect a fallen masterpiece. If nothing else, this methodology may allow you to exercise

your creative brain and keep the ideas coming for future projects. But don’t take my word for it.

OK, do.

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LEXMy wife Megan works for a company named Magellan Devel-opment in downtown Chicago, and they took the reigns of a residential project on South Michigan Avenue known as the Lexington Tower in 2010. The hired interior designer on the job, Kara Mann, expressed a need for an artist to complete works to accompany her designs inside the tower. Coinciden-tally, or not so much so, Magellan suggested my work and Kara Mann Design contacted me the next day. I began working with KMD around April of 2011, mostly discussing conceptual material initially. It was decided that the general aesthetic of the space was to mimic the life and culture that nearby Chess Records offered in the 1950s and 60s in the very same neighborhood of south Chicago. The environ-ment Mann wanted to create was a wildly vibrant, young and inspiring space, rock and roll of course setting the precedence for all of the design elements.

LEXLEX

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consistent I think with the overall aesthetic, minimal yet powerful use of color and composition. I researched the artists involved with Chess Records and drew inspiration from the era in de-sign; industrial and visual, and of course, the music. I decided the art should reflect and celebrate the underlying foundation of the Lexington’s design- that being music. Rock and roll. The art is acrylic, pen/marker and pencil

The Sales & Leasing Center at street level is essentially glass-enclosed, and draws the eye to a seemingly raw commercial space; concrete with small splashes of architecture and color. At first glance, the large, dark room appears almost unfinished given the randomness created by the floating offices, stack of old speakers in the corner and the lone foosball table. The piece that I completed for the space is

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DKMD

KARAMANNDESIGN.COM7

Chicago Brass 1250 Lakeshore Drive

chicagobrass.com

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Chicago Brass is a family-owned and operated supplier of high-end architectural hardware and luxury plumbing products. The company has long been working with Chicago’s elite designers and builders, and are known for helping in creating some of the city’s most noteworthy architectural design. High-end clientele from around the state contract Chicago Brass on a regular basis to work with them to complete their homes. I worked as a salesperson for CB for one year in 2007. My old boss Kurt Schnakenberg and I stayed in contact and I began helping out with commissioned artistic work, creating renderings and designing custom prod-uct, as well as taking architectural photographs a year later.In 2008, Kurt was awarded a job in downtown

Chicago’s lakefront; a five-story, $15 million private town home situated about two hundred yards away from Lake Michigan. The residence had decided that they wanted to fully restore the building and create an authentic, late-eighteenth century environment complete with period ac-curate artwork and architectural hardware. They stressed the importance of having one-of-a-kind design; they needed to have all original concepts while adhering to the desired aesthetics with the fully custom door hardware cast of solid bronze. Kurt petitioned me in October of the same year to create the custom designs required by the cli-ents. We discussed the parameters of the job in detail after which I started researching hardware design of the late eighteen hundreds, and bagan to formulate designs myself for the residents.

“...they wanted to fully restore the building and create an authentic, late-eighteenth century envi-ronment...”

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1250 Lakeshore

I ended up designing around a dozen pieces for the house, all characterised by a pattern mimicking that of the ornate hardware used in Rome and Italy in the specified time period. The pattern was to incorporate a familiar Roman acanthus leaf while tying in other design aspects as well from the period. The clients and the architects ok’d the designs and Chicago Brass began working closely with the east-coast manufacturers to produce the pieces.

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All in all, the residence and their architects and designers ended up using the hinges seen below, as well as the knobs and privacy escutcheons. I knew from the beginning that this would be a great chance to get my feet wet in another realm of design and as expected, this whole process turned out to be a great experience. I’ve been working with Chicago Brass on-going now for over four years on various projects ranging from designing product to renderings to photography. They’re a great company to work for, to work with, and I’d by all means continue to work with them any time the opportunity arises.

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CASCADEMOUNTAIN.COM 12

actionsports

Since I was little, I have had an interest in what we now call “action sports,” or “extreme sports” if that’s what you prefer. Though I will say that I despise the word extreme; it’s been overused and abused throughout the years and I would more closely associate it with long haul trucking or what Steve Irwin used to do for a living- now that shit is extreme. What I do on a daily basis; skiing, snow-boarding, skateboarding, biking... these are sports. I’ve taken my love for these sports and melded

them with my love for art, and the result is a 31 year-old undergrad relying on his wife’s income. The good news is that I’ve managed to land some radical clients in the process, like K2 Skis…

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actionsports

Having been active in the industry in places like Mammoth Lakes and Lake Tahoe, CA throughout the early 2000s, I was fortunate enough to be present for large movements in the ski industry, and directly witnessed the influx of my everyday acquaintances into the professional realm. I was able to build connections and stay in contact with many friends in the indus-try such as a great buddy of mine Ryan Schmies over at K2 Ski Corp. with whom I grew up skiing since the early 90s. Back in 2005, Ryan contacted me to design a team jersey to

be worn by the athletes for a K2 VS media soccer game down in South America for a cross promotion/photo shoot. A few years of ski-bumming and couch-surfing ticked by after this first contact with K2 and then again in 2009, Ryan contacted me and mentioned the possibility of designing ski graphics for a couple of their junior skis. That first year, I designed the graphics for two pairs of skis- the K2 Bad Apple and the Juvy as well as three pairs of adult ski poles. Since then, I’ve designed skis every year and I’m now on my

4th year year designing graphics for K2.

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Seth Morrisonwith K2 V8 pole

“A few years of ski-bum-ming and couch-surfing ticked by...”

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The style of artwork for the Juvy remains to be fairly busy, interlaced pen work incorporating identifiable devices for bad-ass children interested in the sport. However, I was given a little more freedom with regards to the conceptual subject matter seen on the Bad Apple. I took a more psycho-analytic approach studying human anatomy and neurological physiology, and ran with concepts ranging from slightly creepy portraits of those close to me to nightmarish futuristic worms. I’m trying to stick with my roots and create art for the client that maintains a clear ‘Andy Harris’ style.

Ski Design 2009-2012

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nimbusindependent.com17 2010: Nimbus Independent/ K2 Design Contest 1st Place

20K2K2skis.com

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ASHAESTHETIC.COM

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