sketchbook: October 2009 Archives

wheels of inspiration

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I have been reading about Hans Coper recently. I am always taken by his ability to take an idea and explore the variety of a single theme. He was concerned with an modern feeling of form. The  quality of surface was developed not in terms of decoration but integrated through layers of slip sanding and rubbing he created depth.

hans coper composite verticle.jpg"The wheel imposes its economy, dictates limits, provides momentum and continuity. Concentrating on continuous variations of simple themes I become part of the process. I am learning to operate a sensitive instrument which may be resonant to my experience of existence now in this fantastic century." Hans Coper

hans coper horizontal.jpgWhen I am taken with an artist I try to look at not only what they did but where they derived their inspiration. Coper had a great love for cycladic forms and admiration for the sculptors Brancusi and Giacometti.

giacometti-chariot-figure-2009.jpgAs I am slowed down by my fracture and get around on crutches and a wheel chair I am struck by the photos of Coper in his wheelchair at the end of his life.

hans-coper-wheelchair-2009.jpgImages of sculptures and pots that include wheels ignite my imagination and pen.

wheeled-horn-cups-2009.jpg