Harold Wortsman

"CUBE, PYRAMID & SPHERE", sculpture, clay, abstract, geometric, installation

2017

FOR THE OLD ONES, a ceramic sculpture of high-fired clay pigmented with oxides, sitting on a slab of limestone. It is a recent work by artist Harold Wortsman. Note the blending of volumetric and organic form in this work, the mark-making and perforations on the surface, the striking colors of black and copper in variable stripes – it is characteristic of his practice – warm, contemporary, uniquely crafted, yet speaks to ancient, primitive traditions of art-making that cross cultures and histories. Highly attuned to the art of Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia, his forms are organic abstracts with masculine and feminine attributes that resonate together as a pleasing enigma. They make sense immediately, yet never give up all their secrets. From Harold Wortsman – "With sculpture, my material of choice is high-fired clay. Pieces are first low-fired in an electric kiln. I do not use glazes. Instead, I use oxides applied to the bisqued (low-fired) clay. As with a tattoo, oxides permit the surface underneath to breathe—like naked skin. The work is then high-fired in a gas kiln with double reduction to cone 10. The final temperature is 2,300 degrees F. At a certain point, oxygen intake is reduced to the kiln. Because the fire has reached a critical mass, it needs oxygen and chemically takes it from the clay and the oxides painted on. Like a jazz improvisation, each kiln load comes out slightly different." From Jonathan Goodman, Poet & Art Critic – "Wortsman re-examines ancient and modern traditions in light of what it means to make art." – Tussle Magazine, July 2019. Harold Wortsman is a sculptor and printmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He “creates forms that bring to mind archaic cult objects and exude a quiet concentrated strength.” (Argauer Zeitung, Switzerland). His work, an edgy mix of freedom and clarity, can be found in public and private collections in the US, including The Library of Congress, Yale University, The New York Public Library Print Collection, The New York Historical Society, Smith College, Indiana University’s Lilly Library, Brandeis University, The Newark Public Library Special Collections Division, and the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum Print Archive. Also in private and public collections in Europe, including the Municipal Collection of the City of Brugg, Switzerland. Harold studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, with sculptor George Spaventa...

NEW YORK NIGHTS, a ceramic relief sculpture of high-fired clay pigmented with oxides, is a work by artist Harold Wortsman. The relief is ready to be mo...

HER DREAM, a ceramic sculpture of high-fired clay pigmented with oxides, is a work by artist Harold Wortsman. Note the blending of geometric and organic forms in this work – it is ch...

MONUMENT, a ceramic sculpture of high-fired clay pigmented with oxides, is a recent work by artist Harold Wortsman. Note the volumetric geometry inhere...

MATHEMATICAL THEOREM, a ceramic relief sculpture of high-fired clay pigmented with engobes, is a recent work by artist Harold Wortsman. This black & wh...

Red, Black & Brown, a ceramic sculpture of high-fired clay pigmented with oxides, is a work by New York artist Harold Wortsman. Red, Black & Brown was recently exhibited at "Harold Wortsman: Time and Space" at the Orange Art Foundation, February-March 2022, New York City. Note the blending of geometric and organic forms in this work – it is characteristic of his practice – warm, contemporary, uniquely crafted, yet speaks to ancient, primitive traditions of art-making that cross cultures and histories. Highly attuned to the art of Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia, his forms are organic abstracts with masculine and feminine attributes that resonate together as a pleasing enigma. They make sense immediately, yet never give up all their secrets. From Harold Wortsman – "With sculpture, my material of choice is high-fired clay. Pieces are first low-fired in an electric kiln. I do not use glazes. Instead, I use oxides applied to the bisqued (low-fired) clay. As with a tattoo, oxides permit the surface underneath to breathe. The work is then high-fired in a gas kiln with double reduction to cone 10. The final temperature is 2,300 degrees F. At a certain point, oxygen intake is reduced to the kiln. Because the fire has reached a critical mass, it needs oxygen and chemically takes it from the clay and the oxides. Like a jazz improvisation, each kiln load comes out slightly different." From Jonathan Goodman – "Wortsman has increasingly moved into his own – a place in which the relations between the abstractions of volume and the intimations of very old culture are merged in a way that is new." – Essay, "Harold Wortsman: Time and Space", Orange Art Foundation, February 2022, New York City. Harold Wortsman is a sculptor and printmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He “creates forms that bring to mind archaic cult objects and exude a quiet concentrated strength.” (Argauer Zeitung, Switzerland). His work, an edgy mix of freedom and clarity, can be found in public and private collections in the US, including The Library of Congress, Yale University, The New York Public Library Print Collection, The New York Historical Society, Smith College, Indiana University’s Lilly Library, Brandeis University, The Newark Public Library Special Collections Division, and the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum Print Archive. Also in private and public collections in Europe, including the Municipal Collection of the City of Brugg, Switzerland. Harold studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, with sculptor George Spaventa...

Center is a unique contemporary modern sculpture painting by Dutch artist Michiel Jansen. This wall relief is made from dozens of indivually cut strips ...

Space is a unique contemporary modern sculpture painting by Dutch artist Michiel Jansen. This wall relief is made from dozens of indivually cut strips of pure grey black slate. First...

Stone and metal, usually granite or slate, and found object steel are central in my sculpture. The interaction of these materials is a major focus. On the most basic level, the work ...

"I work with a simple elemental form, a curve made from the most basic natural material, clay. I make and build with hundreds or thousands of these forms. The clay curve connects me ...

Aya Mori was born in Aichi Prefecture in Japan in 1989, and lives and work in Aichi. She studied at Aichi University of Education and completed her M.F.A. in 2014 under her mentor, Harumi Nakashima. Currently she works as a part‐time lecturer at Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design, Aichi, Japan. Her large works were exhibited and became permanent in the collection at Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A. Recent exhibitions include New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, New Taipei-city, Taiwan; Duane Reed Gallery...

"The ideal state is not one which everyone has access to the same amount of wealth, but in proportion to their contribution to the general wealth" This piece was handmade in the hea...