Symone Harvey

My practice is rooted in the act of sustained creation—making large bodies of work in short periods of time to test my perceived limits. What began as a personal experiment evolved into a methodology. By committing to a single color and a fixed number of works, I imposed constraints that required both discipline and surrender. The limitation of one color created a challenge layered on top of the challenge of production itself, forcing me to move through ideas quickly rather than becoming attached to any single piece.

Working in this way emptied my mind. I learned to put every idea onto the surface—successful or not—and to release it. The pace demanded trust: trust in my intuition, trust in momentum, and trust that the work would hold meaning as a collective rather than as isolated objects. These series taught me to let go of perfection, to resist overthinking, and to understand that the power of the work lives in accumulation, rhythm, and repetition.

Each color series carries its own emotional and conceptual weight. Red emerged as a response to war—both external conflict and internal struggle. Blue became a space to explore mental health, vulnerability, and the quiet weight of survival. Green, which continues to unfold in my practice, centers on grounding, nature, and self-care. Through the green work, I began to understand how deeply essential care is—not as an afterthought, but as a foundational part of the creative process itself.

I continue to expand the Green Series because self-care is often misunderstood or undervalued within art culture, especially in environments that prioritize productivity over sustainability. For me, care is not separate from making; it is inseparable from it. The act of returning to the body, to breathe, to land, and to rest is what allows the work to exist at all.

My current work expresses love—for place, for community, and for belonging—through recurring figures I refer to as my “green ladies in pots.” Through them, I honor San Antonio, a city that became my home not simply through geography, but through connection. While my family is from here, it was through deep engagement with the art community—the shared labor, mutual support, and collective care—that the city truly rooted itself in me.

At its core, my practice is about showing up fully, making honestly, and creating space for others to do the same. The work reflects a belief that art is not made in isolation, and that growth—personal, creative, and communal—is something we cultivate together.