Stephen Harkola

With a degree in photography, Stephen Harkola’s portrait paintings usually begin with a live model photo shoot to capture poses. Stephen explains that his portraits have historically been more representational, requiring tighter media control. Over time, that has been changing with further abstraction, influenced by his abstract landscape work, also on Saatchi at . While he uses a camera and software in all phases of his portrait artwork, he explains “Something better happens when I physically paint, and when I finally invoke a connection with another person, far deeper than what I can accomplish with a camera, there is nothing better in this world.” Stephens new mixed media Giclee's bridge the digital world, making original large format paintings on canvas available, at an affordable price.

BS Photography, Rochester Institute of Technology
MBA, Southern Methodist University

RepARTee Gallery Spring 2010 show
New York Figure Study Guild (NYFSG) Annual Shows, Rochester NY 2006 – 2018
Artist Row Juried Exhibition, Rochester NY Fall 2010 and 2012
Little Theatre Solo Show, Rochester NY February 2011
Stella Art Gallery Solo Show, Rochester NY August 2012
AVOM Gallery Solo Show, Rochester, NY September 2014
NYFSG Solo Show, February 2015 – Kimberly Series
Orange Glory Solo Show, Rochester NY February 2016 – Feminine Mystique series
MuCCC Rochester NY January 2018 – Pure Heroine series
CloudCheckr Solo Exhibition, Rochester NY February 2019
Art Fluent Exhibit Competition Finalist – FEMME, March 2021
67th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition Finalist – Memorial Art Gallery Exhibition August 14 to October 17, 2021