Artwork copyright John Harter. Photo courtesy of the artist.

River Rock Storm Tower, 1980

John Harter
American (born 1940, died 2008)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia

About the Artwork

River Rock Storm Tower is an imaginative and surrealistic painting by artist John Harter. Fingers poke out of the sides of the rock tower, while loose teeth and piles of knotted rope dot the stylized landscape. Two parallel roads lead off to the horizon on either side of the tower. Where do they lead? The artist encouraged individual viewers to create their own interpretations of this piece.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washington State Arts Commission.

About the Artist

John Harter (1940-2008) created figurative and surrealistic paintings.
Born in Seattle, Harter served in the U.S. Navy in the late 1950s and travelled to Eastern Asia with the Navy. He studied at Seattle Central Community College and Cornish School in Seattle. He left Seattle briefly while studying at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1968, but later returned and continued his studies at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1975.