| Douglas Harling lives in
Kentucky and is the head of the Jewelry and Metals
area at the Kentucky School of Craft/Hazard Community
and Technical College in Hindman, Kentucky. His
awards include a Southern Arts Federation/NEA Grant
and a North Carolina Artist Fellowship Grant. Harling’s
work has recently been seen in “Made in America”
at the Rochester Institute of Technology Gallery
of Art, Rochester, NY; “The Nature of Craft
and the Penland Experience” at the Museum
of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC; and “The
Art of Gold” toured through ExhibitsUSA. Harling
received his MFA in Metals from Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale.
|
http://www.hazard.kctcs.edu
This site is a wonderful resource on the art of
goldsmithing, with information, hands on activities
and a glossary. Information about Douglas Harling
is on page 20.
http://www.ganoksin.com
Harling’s work is included in this on
line exhibit of gold work. |
|
Full Measure, 2006
22k gold, black coral branch,
padparadscha sapphire
3.5" x 2.5" x 2.25"
Photo by Luis Quiles, 2007
| What is it that makes an
artist exceptional and an object extraordinary?
True mastery is the kind of skill that looks deceptively
effortless. It is not just the knowledge of how
to make an object; it’s the ability to exploit
the very essence of the material that gives it form.
A master can imbue their work with a physical presence,
that quality that enables a person, place, or thing
to hold the space around it … to stand alone
in a crowd. There is an understanding of the artist’s
own time and place. The work may fit within a long
tradition but could exist at no other time. It understands
the past, exists firmly in the present, and anticipates
the future. Last but certainly not least is the
artist’s sense of self, their ability to impart
their own uniqueness upon the pieces they create,
whatever the format or material. This is a deeper
quality than just visual style. It is the ability
to project ones personality into the object, to
bring it to life by giving of one’s self. |
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