HARPER, Norman

1918 - 2008

Norman Richard Harper was born at Rosyth, Perth, Scotland on 23 November 1918, son of Joseph Harper (10 October 1892-1964) and his wife Elsie Louisa (19 July 1895-1993), née Whittell, who was born in Chatham, Kent and married at Chatham in 1916. In 1921 Norman's 25-year-old mother Elsie, together with three children Herbert William 3, Norman Richard 2 and Eileen Muriel 1, all born in Rosyth, were visitors at 21 St Nicholas, Morden Street, Rochester, Kent whilst Joseph was a lance sergeant in the Royal Engineers based at Cottenham Park, Wimbledon. In 1931 they were living at Lowestoft in Suffolk where Norman studied at the local school and in 1939 the family were living at 8 Morton Road, Lowestoft where his father Joseph was a foreman decorator. Norman followed his father into the painting & decorating trade, remaining a tradesman for the remainder of his life, his father was also a good artist, and young Norman learnt his artistic skills and studied life drawing at Lowestoft School of Arts and Crafts. Norman's favourite medium was oil, but he excelled at watercolour and acrylic painting and paid great attention to composition, colour and tone, for subject matter he favoured the East Anglian landscape which he sketched and painted 'en plein air' but apart from landscape painting, Norman was skilled at flower painting, still life and portraiture. He married at Lowestoft in 1943, Molly Rose Jamieson (born 24 August 1920) and they lived at 61 Chapel Street, Lowestoft. A member of Southwold Art Circle, Lowestoft Art Group, Oulton Broad Art Circle and the Beccles Society of Artists, wining many trophies for his paintings. Norman Richard Harper died in 2008, aged 90. He signed his pictures 'NRH' monogram.

---

Works by This Artist