I have been asked if I miss working in the porcelain studio. The answer is Yes and No. I had over fifty years of potting at my wheel, casting, and hand-building objects of art; so, Yes. Since 2017, I have been very busy painting and working in the blacksmith shop; so, No.
The big reason I do not miss the pottery studio, is that Making, wherever it happens, has continuous personal threads. I love Making. I could have spent the rest of my life making beautiful porcelain bowls because they are simple, enjoyable, and oh so difficult at the same time. Making fruit bowls in the blacksmith shop is just an extension of my history in a different medium. They are difficult, complicated, and present challenges for me to work out.
I am constantly reminded of how slow Making is. In this computer driven world, things happen in nanoseconds. Working at a potter’s wheel, at the forge or at my easel painting, is the complete opposite. Most of the Arts are the same. Things do happen, but at a pace that matches my heartbeat. I love slow. I get to look, really look and examine negative and positive spaces, moving and interacting. I get to see, then make very small changes that make a huge difference to how the Artwork evolves. Slow is thoughtful and beautiful!
Western educated Art people usually find anything that functions to be not Fine Art. They are wrong. Everything about a bowl is sculptural. The spatial forces inside and outside each shape become powerful movers of support and definition. Anything you can say about a Brancusi sculpture can be said about a good bowl. Bowls are sculptures that work. Art that works!
I am working with copper tubing that I get from a local scrap metal shop. Re-use. It is accessible and works well in the long run. Good color. The tubes are hammer flattened, annealed and woven into sheets. Copper rivets are used to tie the strips together. They are then forged into bowls and annealed many times before being plunged into rainwater. They are then hammer hardened to final form. The bowls create very interesting shadows, so they love bright light. They also love fresh fruit.
I made each of these for interesting people that I know and care for. I am a very privileged boy. One is made specifically for a friend’s long table, and one is made for a special way of life. One is made for being in the woods and coming home to a snack. It goes on…
Harlan
