Peter Harris

Peter Alfred Harris was a Canadian painter, graphic artist, draftsperson, and art administrator. He received his formal visual arts education at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, where he earned a third-year travelling scholarship.

Harris was appointed as the inaugural director and curator of the St. Catharines and District Arts Council in 1960, operating out of Rodman Hall Arts Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario. During the late 1950s and 1960s, he maintained an active teaching practice alongside his administrative duties, including serving on the faculty of the Ontario College of Art in 1959.

Working across oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor, and mixed media on paper and canvas, Harris focused his visual practice on figurative studies, seated and reclining nudes, portraits, vibrant still life compositions, and interior scenes. He was an active contributor to professional artist associations and held membership in the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (CSGA). Harris continued living and working in St. Catharines until his death in 1993.