Artwork by Charles Harper

As a graphic designer, I'm always on the look-out for talented illustrators to help me create eye-catching layouts with their artwork. Whenever I page through the latest issue of a publication I crack open the binding and peek into the gutter to see the attributions. Who did that amazing charcoal portrait? What mastermind came up with that cool collage?

Sometimes, though, you come across an artist whose work is so amazing that you have to need to introduce them to as many people as possible. Someone whose work you find so amazing that if, like the Barenaked Ladies' song posits, you "had a million dollars" you would buy pieces of their work for everyone you know.

Wildlife-focused pop artist Charles Harper is one of those special illustrators for me. Last week, I tried unsuccessfully to purchase his koala silkscreen (titled "Down Under") for my brother-in-law Brad who spent a semester studying in Australia, and finding his work on eBay.com reminded me that while Harper has a small following, he deserves even more recognition and admirers.

Thanks to a blog entry that my friend Matt at Scrubbles.net posted last year, I've been trolling the Web looking for more impressive examples of his work. I'm especially fond of his avian creations, but really they are each wonderful in their own way. Now if only I could add one to my art collection for a reasonable price!