Harley Newman - Sculpture

Harley Newman - Sculpture

sculpture | artist statement | contact

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Artist Statement

Walking in the woods in spring, one finds incredible organic shapes.

Organic not in the Frank Lloyd Wright style - many of those shapes were rectangular, a form that rarely occurs in nature.

Organic in the sense that things are sprouting and unfurling stalks.

Organic in the way that unbelievably shaped fungii have a myriad of nodules and curves and repeating shapes that flow seamlessly from one to another.

Organic shapes are central to my carving style.

These pieces, for the most part, are carved in the traditional way, with chisels and a mallet.

Sometimes I have an idea for a shape, and I have to carve it.

Usually, though, as I start a piece, it develops its own evolution, and I become almost peripheral to its formation.

Some pieces combine form and function, like a bowl or a piece of furniture.

For most, the function is the form;
the form is what engages perception;
perception is what stimulates the desire to look, to touch, to hold.

It's very sensuous to hold a piece on my lap as I work it;
to feel the continuity of a curve;
the texture of the chisel marks.

One isn't supposed to chisel in one's lap, but I do it anyway.

To see me breaking other rules, click here...

Contact Information

Harley may be contacted via email:

Or by phone (United States):

(610) 298-0092