Post Falls artist Keith Harrop releases ‘The Anicurio Collection,’ with ‘astounding’ pencil art and whimsical creatures

Post Falls artist and author Keith Harrop invites readers to take a step back in time and into his enthralling imaginative world.

It’s a place filled with animals dressed in Victorian garb. There’s a bison opera tenor, an alligator who aspires to the arts, and a fox and a hound who fell in love while employed at a pottery factory.

Harrop recently released “The Anicurio Collection,” a coffee table book filled with 50 graphite and charcoal illustrations and much more.

“Six years ago, I got interested in pencil drawing,” he said. “I liked the purity and sensitivity of it. It’s a very literal form of art – it’s black and white.”

He didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

“I drew a picture of my cat Harvey and put him in a Victorian suit,” said Harrop. “Then I did a profile of a horse in a suit, then a peacock. I thought this is fun! I want to see what happens.”

What happened was the creation of 50 captivating illustrations and the genesis of a book.

Harrop was born in the city of Stoke-On-Trent, England. He had no formal art training.

“Art was a survival skill I learned, because it was the only skill I had.”

At 16, he left school to take a job as a sign painter. He packed his brushes when he immigrated to the U.S. in 1988.

He ended up in Santa Barbara, California, where a sign company sponsored him. In 1995, he became a citizen.

Graphic design expanded his horizons, leading him to work as an art director for several large corporations and as a creative director. He rekindled his love of painting along the way.

In 2012, he and his wife left California and bought a home in Post Falls. He owned an online wholesale bumper sticker business, which allowed him to work remotely.

During COVID, Harrop discovered pencil drawing and launched the Anicurio series. He trademarked the word Anicurio – a combination of “animal’ and “curiosity.”

“I draw anthropomorphized Victorians and vintage characters,” he said. “It’s an artistic style that’s around 150 years old.”

But Harrop wanted to take the art in a different direction.

“I didn’t want to cartoonify them,” he explained. “I wanted to retain the natural expression of the animal. I wanted it to look realistic.”

His goal is to convey a deep sense of a genuine personality. Not just a wacky cartoon animal in a suit. He drew inspiration from Edwardian and Victorian photos.

When he had 17 finished, framed and matted pieces, he reached out to local galleries, and Art Spirit in Coeur d’Alene offered him a show.

The enthusiastic response proved to be a turning point for the artist. He chose to sell his online business and pursue the art he’s always wanted to do.

Harrop chose to create a finite end of 50 pieces for the collection. The last piece is a little squirrel photographer, who took the Anicurio portraits. Half of the original works have been sold, but prints and postcards are readily available.

As the series grew, people wanted to know the backstory behind his whimsical creations, and a book was born.

“The Anicurio Collection” features 50 full-page drawings, along with supporting illustrations and stories, all presented in a Victorian-style publication. It includes imaginary advertisements, letters to the editor, etiquette tips, and even a few recipes.

Harrop included a one- to two-page story about each creature. Wanting the narratives to match the art, he bought Edwardian newspapers and wrote in the style of the time, albeit a bit less flowery.

You can read about the disastrous first and only date between a dog and a cat. (Spoiler alert: The dog spontaneously licks the cat, and that was that.)

The author’s favorite? Brian Toemouth, a Floridian alligator who reinvents himself as Etienne Aubert, and whose artistic ambitions are unsuccessful due to a woeful lack of talent.

At art shows and exhibits, Harrop dresses in Victorian garb, and guests flock to his booth. He’s even created a mini museum of objects related to the collection.

“People love it,” he said. “They have a real emotional connection – it’s something I’ve never experienced as an artist. They laugh, they cry. Perhaps because of how difficult things are in the world right now, it really resonates. It’s a whimsical fantasy world to bask in for awhile.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.