Changes to works

Unfortunately for the work of cataloguing the work of Harris, few contemporary inventories were kept by the artist, and the photographs from his landscape period are rare. But the records that we do have offer a very interesting insight in the work of the artist, and in particular, his penchant for altering works, in some cases decades after they were complete.

Sketches in the arctic- letter to Carr- Tickled sketches (Fig showing clouds underneath)

These changes in the progress of the pictures is common - Oxtongue River, Snow, North Shore of Lake Superior.

But there are many other examples of him waiting much longer to make changes. The most complete invnentory is a 1934 record completed by friend of Harris and artist in her own right, Doris Mills. Through unknown arrangement, she had Hans Jensen provide pencil drawings of all works.

Unfortunately, only works of 12x15 or larger were illustrated - meaning none of the early Lake Superior panels, Algoma panels, 1924 Rockies works or Urban Scenes - almost all of which were done on 10.5x13.5 The only exception for this is one single Lake Superior panel.

Through these illustrations, which were done of works Harris left behind before heading to the United States, there are some key changes that can be seen that indicate later on in his career, once reunited with these sketches in the 1940s, he revisited some of them. We know that he used some as material for sketches (example, example). He also appears to have retouched some

1930s drawing - and contemporary photograph. In one case he appears to have changed the sketch and then done the canvas based on the changes (Jennings young Canvas).

These changes demonstrate that while Harris quite definitively trasnsitionede