Charley Harper: Nesting Instinct Boxed Notecard Assortment

Home and family, comfort and sustenance—what does “nesting” mean to you? For wildlife artist Charley Harper, it might have called to mind a rose-breasted grosbeak bringing a bug to its nest full of baby birds. Or an eastern meadowlark watching over her eggs in a grassland hideaway. Or an indigo bunting singing a (hopeful!) dinner theme song to a caterpillar within beak’s reach of its leafy home. In his colorful Minimal Realist style, Harper opened a window on the world of birds, giving folks a peek into their nesting behaviors. Maybe your heart sings at the thought of dinners with loved ones in a home built of twigs. Or maybe you’d rather just lounge on your mid-century modern loveseat and catch up on correspondence. This notecard set’s four images of “Harper happynest” will bring cheer to all. Contains five each of the following images: Indigo Bunting, Red-eyed Vireos, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Meadowlark

Charley Harper

Midcentury modernist Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) portrayed the natural world with heart and humor. In vivid colors and simple shapes, his cardinals, ladybugs, and clever critters have become icons of wildlife art. His illustrations were published in magazines and books, notably Ford Times and The Giant Golden Book of Biology. A longtime conservationist, Harper created posters for more than 50 nature- and conservation-oriented organizations. His US National Park Service posters—massive, requiring a year each to paint—showcase delightful depictions of entire ecosystems in a style he defined as “minimal realism.” In his adopted hometown of Cincinnati, his public works are the legacy of an artist truly beguiled by the wild, one whose art was a quiet catalyst for ecological action.