Harris G. Strong was born July 6, 1920, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the son of Albert and Bertha Strong. During World War II he served in the Army as a cryptographer in the Pacific. After being discharged, he graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in chemical engineering. Later he studied ceramic art at New York University.

Always a hard worker, Harris owned his first business, a bicycle shop, when he was 14. His aunt, Henrietta “Brownie” Strong, an artist who owned her own greeting card company, inspired him to be an artist, but also to be practical about the need to earn a living. After several jobs and starting a company called the Potters of Wall Street, he and his wife, Rosyln founded Harris G. Strong, Inc., in the Bronx, New York, in 1950. Through innovative design and serendipity, he soon found success with decorated ceramic tiles and the company grew.

In 1970, Harris moved his family and business to Ellsworth, Hancock County, Maine. They built a factory in nearby Trenton, Maine, but a fire destroyed all the glaze formulas strong had developed for more than 20 years. He decided to concentrate on the other forms of wall decor the business produced: prints, serigraphs, woodcuts, etchings, engravings, collage and paintings.

Harris G. Strong, died Oct. 8, 2006, at his home in Ellsworth, Maine.