The animal whisperer
Artist Miki Harder explores her ‘essential raven-ness’

Durango artist Miki Harder poses next to a piece she is working on in her studio/home off La Posta Road. An FLC grad, Harder’s work centers mostly around animals and other creatures, from bees to black widows./Photo by David Halterman

by Jules Masterjohn

In Montrose they call her “The Sheep Lady.” In Durango, she could be known as “The Raven Maven.” I think of her as the animal whisper. Not merely the four-leggeds or sometimes the eight, but winged things, too, have posed for her. Dragons, dragonflies, bees and a spider have been portrayed by Durango artist Miki Harder.

Miki “gets” animals. She possesses an insightful understanding of their essential qualities and depicts them in their essence, offering the viewer her vision of the innate characteristics – the soul perhaps – of her animal friends.

(It should be stated here that I am dispensing with the journalistic convention of referring to a person by the last name. Miki Harder cannot be called “Harder:” She is anything but hard. A softie to her core, she is a true lover of all beings from large to small.)

Miki’s creations can be seen throughout Durango. Her paintings include a black widow spider looming over patrons at the Lost Dog Bar and Lounge and ravens perched on branches at the eateries of Poppy’s and Nini’s. The entryway floor of Nini’s also displays her talent with mosaic tile as does the entry of Beads and Beyond. The wall above the bar at Gazpacho’s permanently displays the colorful landscape of a mirrored, rolling river running through desert plateaus with floating clouds, and shows Miki’s ability to personify animals – a crabby vulture and an innocent rabbit are pictured.

Miki says her mother knew she was going to be an artist. “She told me that when I drew a flower, I always added a tiny ladybug on the petal.” This attention to detail and the nuances found in nature are a hallmark of Miki’s acute observational style. The perfectly placed highlight in a raven’s eye or the slight tilt of its head shows precisely the mischievous nature of the creature. Which is precisely why Miki is enamored with the bird.

She first noticed this “essential raven-ness” many years ago when she was working at Purgatory. “I saw a bunch of ravens sitting in the trees laughing their arses off at the skiers,” she told me as we sat in her living room, surrounded by raven images. “I guess I am intrigued and maybe a bit jealous of them because they can be so obnoxious and get away with it!” They embody a playful naughtiness that she admires.

“Ravens are mystical animals, too, and are harbingers of death to some. I think they are opportunists – just doing what they do. It is a bird that anyone can project their fantasy on and everyone likes them, or doesn’t, for different reasons,” she went on. “I want to live in the world of the raven, to fly high and soar – it’s such a joyful expression. I want others to feel that joy through my work.”

Initially her interest in the animal world led her to study biology at Fort Lewis College. She knew it wasn’t the perfect fit when she noticed that she made anatomically correct sketches of animals while she should have been listening to lectures. When her mother asked her what she wanted to major in, she was uncertain. It was her mom, who had always been an inspiration for her, who suggested that she study art. Miki discounted

it at first, believing that she couldn’t make a living doing art, though she did eventually shift her major to her passion.

“My mom gave me total permission and provided an emotional safety net for me to pursue my art.” She graduated with a B.A. in Art from FLC in 1990.

Miki spent the next 16 years waiting tables in Durango and making art on the side. Two years ago, she did what most creative people are told NOT to do … she quit her day job.

Actually, it was a night job, and she finds that the rhythm of working nights still affects her energy level as her creative juices and her animal intuition get going at about 4 p.m. Her home studio accommodates both two- and three-dimensional media, with a painting and illustration studio inside her once-garage as well as a well-equipped metalworking studio that opens to the outdoors.

Her artwork takes many forms – from painting on canvas and board, mosaic murals, illustrations, and cartooning to fabricating and welding sculpture. Earlier this year, she “took a leap of faith” and made her first bronze sculpture. The original was made in an oil-based clay, and of course, is a raven named “Esther” in honor of her mother. “Esther” is realistically sculpted down to the feather patterns except, as Miki pointed out, she has incredibly large feet. Out of respect for animals, Miki works in accurate detail yet “needs” to exaggerate some part of the being. Sometimes in an effort to anthropomorphize the creature, like when she recently saw a chipmunk with its cheeks stuffed full of food, she thought, “Oh, you greedy little piggy!” A rendering is yet to material from that encounter.

“There is a lot of doom and gloom out there and I want my work to remind us of our dorky little selves, to take it all more lightly,” she said. “I have tried to put deep meaning into my work, but I always come back to the silly little things that make me laugh. If someone’s mood can be shifted from seeing one of my pieces, I’ve served my purpose.”

Through family encouragement early in her life that continues today (her brother loaned her the money to have 10 sculptures of “Esther” cast in bronze at a foundry in Paonia) and a hefty dose of joie de vivre, Miki is dedicated to seeing the world through child’s eyes and merging that joyful perspective with an immense amount of gratitude for being able to spend her days doing what she loves.

sMiki Harder’s work can be seen at Kagan and Baron Gallery in Montrose. “Esther” is currently on display at Karyn Gabaldon Fine Art in Durango.

One of Harder’s trademark ravens, "Esther," on display at Karyn Gabaldon Fine Arts, was named for her mother./Photo by David Halterman

Miki Harder’s work can be seen at Kagan and Baron Gallery in Montrose. “Esther” is currently on display at Karyn Gabaldon Fine Art in Durango.