--- title: Artist Howard Harris Patents a New Way to Make Photography Dimensional description: Denver artist Howard Harris patented a technique fusing sublimation on aluminum with acrylic overlays. Represented by galleries in New York and Florence, his dimensional artworks are changing how collectors think about photography. author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-03-09T15:43:56.960Z updated: 2026-03-11T12:47:07.395Z canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/howard-harris-techspressionism-patented-art image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/techspressionism-art.webp categories: Science & Tech, Culture content_type: Profile region: Denver publication: Sovereign Magazine schema_type: Article about: - type: Person name: Howard Harris description: Denver-based visual artist and industrial designer with over 35 years combining design and technology. Creator of Techspressionism, a technique patented in 2017 (U.S. Patent No. 9,753,295) that layers sublimation-printed aluminum with acrylic grids to produce dimensional artworks shifting with viewer movement and lighting. BFA from Kansas City Art Institute, MID from Pratt Institute where he studied under design theorist Rowena Reed Kostellow. Exhibited in London, Paris, Venice, New York, and Basel. Represented by Agora Gallery (New York) and Galleria 360 (Florence). Trustee of the Kansas City Art Institute. url: https://www.hharrisphoto.com jobTitle: Visual Artist & Industrial Designer sameAs: - https://www.hharrisphoto.com --- Howard Harris has a U.S. patent on a way of making [photographs move](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/pausing-in-times-square-living-with-art-not-just-walking-by-it). Not video, not animation. The images physically shift as the viewer walks past them, because the work occupies real three-dimensional space. The patent, granted in 2017 as U.S. Patent No. 9,753,295, covers an apparatus and method for creating parallax effects through the physical separation of image planes. Harris calls the broader practice Techspressionism. He spent more than 35 years in industrial design before turning full-time to photography, studying under the design theorist Rowena Reed Kostellow at Pratt Institute after completing a BFA at Kansas City Art Institute. ## The Process Harris starts with a digital photograph, deconstructs it, and rebuilds the composition across multiple layers. He then sublimates the result onto aluminum. In sublimation printing, the dyes fuse beneath the metal surface rather than sitting on top of it. Independent testing by Wilhelm Imaging Research puts the archival longevity of sublimation on aluminum at 65 years or more. Over the printed aluminum goes a precision-cut acrylic grid, mounted at a calculated distance from the surface. The gap between the two planes is what creates the parallax. As the viewer moves, elements of the image shift relative to one another, producing depth and motion that a flat print cannot. Harris defines Techspressionism as "technology utilized as a primary vehicle to express emotional and subjective experiences." The work crosses photography, digital processing, and physical construction without fitting neatly into any one of those categories. ## What the Work Is Trying to Do Harris describes visual reality as "an ever-shifting, highly individualized experience" where what someone sees reflects both their internal state and the external qualities of light, color, movement, and space. Techspressionism is his attempt to build that into a physical object. The layered construction means no two viewings are identical. Walk left and the image shifts one way. Walk right and it shifts another. The lighting in the room changes the color balance. The work is never static. That is a deliberate departure from [conventional photography](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/the-man-behind-the-camera-michael-a-nowotny-s-adventure-through-the-stadiums-of-america), where the image is fixed at the moment of capture. Harris is more interested in what happens after, in the space between the photograph and the person looking at it. The acrylic grid and the physical separation of planes introduce variables that the viewer controls, whether they realize it or not. ## Gallery Representation and Exhibitions Harris is represented by Agora Gallery in New York and Galleria 360 in Florence. He has exhibited in London, Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Venice, New York, and Basel, including Volta Basel 2025. His work has been featured in Contemporary Art Curator Magazine, ArtTour International, Spotlight Magazine, and multiple editions of the Effetto Arte Foundation's Master Artists to Collect series. Awards include the Leonardo Da Vinci Prize nomination, the Contemporary Art Station Premier Artist Prize, and an International Certified Artist designation. The pivot from [industrial design to fine art](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/a-soulful-conversation-through-artwork) was not a retirement project. Harris had already won multiple professional design awards over three decades, including USA Small Businessperson of the Year and a Who's Who Worldwide Lifetime Achievement. He is a past Trustee of the Kansas City Art Institute, the school where he started. The Techspressionism work carries the industrial designer's instinct for material science and problem-solving into a gallery context. ## The Patent as a Market Position Because the technique is patented, it cannot be replicated without a license. For collectors, that creates a scarcity guarantee that goes beyond edition numbers. In a market where digital reproduction makes exclusivity difficult to enforce, a patented physical process is unusual. The archival durability adds to the case. Aluminum sublimation prints do not yellow or degrade the way paper and canvas can, which matters to buyers thinking in decades rather than years. > "Technology utilized as a primary vehicle to express emotional and subjective experiences." > — Howard Harris Harris's current portfolio spans abstraction, portraiture, landscape, cityscape, and political work. Upcoming showings include Galleria 360 in Florence and Agora Gallery in New York. Collectors and galleries can reach him through [hharrisphoto.com](https://www.hharrisphoto.com). ## FAQ **Q: What is Techspressionism?** Techspressionism is a contemporary art approach created by Howard Harris that uses technology as the primary medium to convey emotional and subjective experiences. His patented technique combines sublimation printing on aluminum with precision-cut acrylic grid overlays, producing dimensional artworks with a parallax effect that shifts and changes as the viewer moves. It differs from other technology-based art in its focus on emotional resonance rather than purely conceptual or scientific exploration. **Q: How long do sublimation prints on aluminum last?** Independent testing by Wilhelm Imaging Research confirms archival longevity of 65 years or more. The dyes fuse beneath the metal surface during sublimation, creating a permanent bond that resists fading, yellowing, and moisture damage. **Q: Where can you see Howard Harris's Techspressionism artwork?** Harris is represented by Agora Gallery in New York, Espace Vision Art in Paris, and Galleria 360 in Florence. His work has been exhibited in London, Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Venice, New York, and Basel, and featured in publications including Contemporary Art Curator Magazine and ArtTour International. **About Howard Harris** Visual Artist & Industrial Designer Denver-based visual artist and industrial designer with over 35 years combining design and technology. Creator of Techspressionism, a technique patented in 2017 (U.S. Patent No. 9,753,295) that layers sublimation-printed aluminum with acrylic grids to produce dimensional artworks shifting with viewer movement and lighting. BFA from Kansas City Art Institute, MID from Pratt Institute where he studied under design theorist Rowena Reed Kostellow. Exhibited in London, Paris, Venice, New York, and Basel. Represented by Agora Gallery (New York) and Galleria 360 (Florence). Trustee of the Kansas City Art Institute. [Website](https://www.hharrisphoto.com)