Born in 1941, in Lubbock, Texas, Jim Harter was largely self-taught as an artist. From 1969 to 1972 he played a small part in creating posters for Austin's legendary rock venues, the Vulcan Gas Company and Armadillo World Headquarters. Influenced by San Francisco collage artist Wilfried Satty, Harter turned to making surrealist collages from 19th century engravings. In 1976 he moved to New York, becoming a freelance illustrator, and editor of clip-art books for Dover, and later for other publications. Since then, two books of his collages, Journeys in the Mythic Sea and Initiations in the Abyss have been published, as well as two railroad history books illustrated entirely with Victorian engravings. In 1984, he began painting using an old-master technique, under the guidance of Carlos Madrid. This work was influenced by his earlier collages, but also owes something to Symbolism, Surrealism, Fantastic Realism, and an exposure to Eastern Philosophy. During the early 1980s Harter became friends with Dr. Jean Letschert, a Belgian visionary painter and former student of Rene Magritte. He also met members of Holland's Metarealist group, and fantastic realist painters in New York. In 1986, Harter moved to San Antonio, Texas where he remains today. In recent years he has returned to his collage work, digitally colorizing a number of his creations.
