Ria Harboe At Her Studio

I like to evoke emotion, light and dark, in my work.  I want to have a connection to what I’m painting – therefore my subjects are what influences me:  my musical upbringing, beautiful places I’ve traveled to and where I currently live, and the presence of love.  I like to find the mystery in the painting, to go beyond representation.  I study the light.

I love viewing other artist’s work, including the masters.  My parents are Danish immigrants – I therefore have an avid interest in art from Denmark and in artists of other Nordic countries – Edvard Munch, the famous Norwegian, for example….

I grew up in a creative household, my mother a fiber artist, and my father a jazz pianist.  This environment nurtured my artistic side – I started drawing and painting as a child, going on to major in Art at university, with an emphasis in Ceramics.  I continue to work in both clay and painting, in my studio in the beautiful San Juans of Washington State.