Harmon Meek Gallery Celebrates 60 Years of Art in Naples with P. Smallwood Art

The Harmon Meek Gallery recently celebrated their 60th Anniversary year with a line up of awe-inspiring and prolific artists.

The Harmon-Meek Gallery is a family business under the direction of Kristine Meek and Juliana Meek, along with William Meek. The gallery is highly regarded for its knowledge of American art as they have endeavored to promote artists and their reputations among museums, artist biographers, and academics. Harmon-Meek Gallery has provided Naples residents and visitors with works of art by major American artists since 1964 and has curated nearly 300 museum exhibitions that have been loaned to art museums across the nation.

In late March, a group of art buyers and enthusiasts alike gathered to celebrate the opening of “Lifescapes: Paintings by P. Smallwood.”. The exhibit featured a collection of Philip Smallwood’s watercolor works known for their powerful form of portraiture and visual narrative.

“It is an honor to be featured in the echelon of outstanding artists represented by the Harmon-Meek Gallery, especially during their 60th Season Exhibition,” stated Artist, Philip Smallwood. “The works featured in this show, as with much of my work, are intended to begin a dialogue with the viewer, requiring specific notice; notice of the faces, the lives, the environment and mostly the details within these mundane moments that added together make for a full life/experience that can be imagined through the image on the canvas.”

In a foreword written for the show, Lou Zona, Executive Director, The Butler Institute of American Art says “The art of Philip Smallwood reminds us that narrative painting continues to be alive and well in America. His themes built around African American life are both sensitive and academically strong. Few artists are able to capture nuances in the subject, the subtle placement of light, and the remarkable employment of textures particularly the wooden fencing pictured behind the subjects adding a beautiful abstract quality to the works.” Zona continues, “The watercolor medium is both challenging and unforgiving. To control the medium just may be one of the most difficult tasks facing the artists who employ it. However, this is where Philip Smallwood shines. He has made the watercolor medium his own.”

In their 60th Anniversary year, Harmon Meek Gallery has featured prominent artists including Hunt Slonem, Carol Griffin and Richard Haas, among others.

A collection of Smallwood’s works continues to be available at Harmon Meek Gallery. Collectors may contact the gallery directly for additional details and information.