Jim Harrison Gallery

The Jim Harrison Gallery invites you to step into early 20th century rural life through the eyes of the late artist and writer, Jim Harrison. Located in Harrison’s hometown of Denmark, South Carolina, the Gallery features some of his most notable works such as nostalgic depictions of country stores, cotton fields and quiet landscapes that stir memories of a simpler time. The late Jim Harrison was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by the State of South Carolina in 2008.

The Gallery also sells bronzes, etchings and a variety of limited and unlimited edition reproductions from Harrison’s more than 40-year career as an artist.

The Gallery is free and open to the public. Call or check their Facebook for current hours.

Their Story

Long before his paintings were displayed in galleries, a teenage Jim Harrison stood on a sign painter’s scaffold, carefully painting lettering by hand. The Coca-Cola sign that he worked on that day with his mentor, J. J. Cornforth, was the first of more than 100 similar signs he painted over the next few years and shaped his future work in many ways. What began as a way to make ends meet quickly revealed a gift for detail and storytelling on canvas, propelling him from small-town South Carolina to national recognition and a licensing relationship with the Coca-Cola Company.

Reminiscent of his earlier experiences as a sign painter, his work is known for chronicling early 20th century rural life and coastal Carolina with subjects such as railroad stations, churches, one room schoolhouses, country stores, covered bridges, and farm buildings.

“I sincerely try to put meaning to all of this in hopes it has some historical value. The subjects I’m interested in certainly need to be captured in books and on canvas. They were an important part of our past,” Harrison said. “With my art what you see is what you get. I hope that my paintings need no explanation. I simply want to communicate my message to the common man on the street who claims to have no knowledge of art but does know what he likes.”

Harrison passed away in 2016, but his work still lives on though the Jim Harrison Gallery in Denmark, South Carolina.