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43: THE WORD BIRD
Sponsors: Page and Palette, Inc.
Sponsors: Lyons Share
Artists: Bill Harrison
Artists: Hope Lambert
About the Pelican: Created from the brilliant minds of Bill Harrison, and his beautiful apprentice Hope Lambert, The Word Bird represents a number of local published writers, including Winston Groom, author of best-selling novels Forrest Gump and 1942; Jennifer Paddock, author of Point Clear; Roy Hoffman, author of Chicken Dreaming Soup; Joe Hilley, author of Sober Justice; Suzanne Hudson, author of In a Temple of Trees, and many others. You can find the spines of these books pasted all over the wings and tail of The Word Bird. Other striking features of this pelican are the reading glasses, signature pencil behind the ear, purple blazer and lime green polka-dot bow tie. The artists took the stereo-typical features of authors and applied them to the pelican. The Word Bird is a fun, comedic representation of all the many local men and women contributing to the literature community of the Eastern Shore.
About The Artists: Bill Harrison is a well-known Alabama Gulf Coast artist whose sunny, colorful landscape, seascape and still life paintings are in homes, businesses and fine art galleries throughout the United States. His works range from small pastel still lifes to large exterior murals. Most of his recent works are large (24 x 36 or larger) acrylic landscapes depicting life on the Alabama Gulf Coast. His palette is restricted but rich in color and his paintings feature large, loose areas of deeply layered color. He loosely defines features in a post-impressionist manner and renders architectural elements in a manner reminiscent of Edward Hopper. He designs for emotional impact and achieves a bright, sunny feel with his extensive use of warm undertones and deep arbitrary color in carefully defined shadows. Mr. Harrison was born in Kansas, grew up from the age of six in the California desert, attended Long Beach City College and graduated from West Coast University in Los Angeles. After art school, he worked for the U.S. Navy contractors as an illustrator and technical writer and became a mechanical designer and design manager. Following a midlife health crisis about 18 years ago, he went full time into a fine-arts career that had been developing in conjunction with his design career. It became his passion and remains so to this day. He has a significant following as an art instructor and conducts well-attended workshops. He is a member of the Fairhope Street Artists and Eastern Shore Art Association, tells really awful (but clean) jokes, and is a terrible bicycle rider.
About The Artists: Hope Lambert is one of the newest members of the Fairhope Street Artists and at 17 is the youngest member to join. Although new to the group, her interest in art is not. Born in Daphne, Alabama, where she has lived her entire life, her creative talent was apparent at a young age. She was in many art programs throughout her childhood. As she grew older, her art developed its own style. It draws from post-impressionism. The majority of her art is in acrylic, but she also enjoys working in other mediums such as oils and porcelain. She currently plans to attend Auburn University to pursue a bachelor's degree in fine arts and become a full-time artist. For the time being, she is an apprentice for local artist Bill Harrison.
About The Sponsors: Page & Palette, a second-generation family business has been a Fairhope Landmark for over 38 years. While browsing the extensive book selection, our customers cannot help but notice the inviting aromas from the Latte Da Coffee Shop. There is a newly expanded art supply department along with a Greeting Card Department which includes Crane Stationery. Visit our beautiful new Living Room which has books and gifts of inspiration. We offer free gift wrap with purchase. Home of the Fairhope Street Artists Directed by Bill Harrison. Page & Palette serves as a community magnet for both literature and art.
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