Artist Statement
I started my sculpture career with a very classical, figurative beginning. Although my materials and forms have changed a great deal over the years, it is still possible to find remnants of the figure in my work.
During the 1980s, most of my large outdoor wood pieces stood on two points, i.e., legs, and I incorporated a separate element on top body or arms. My granite work started in the 1990s, also tends toward figurative or post and lintel forms.
When I incorporate several elements to construct a sculpture I am looking at the way they relate to each other, and ultimately how they work together as a whole. A tilt here and a cut there can change the attitude of the piece and gives each one it's own distinct personality. When I make a piece with just one element, I tend to do more carving and editing of the material to achieve the same effect."
My work and the ideas behind it are tied very closely with the material it is constructed of - I have chosen traditional, ancient mediums with which to express myself. I try not to manipulate my materials beyond their natural state, but imbue them with an expression of dignity and grandeur to release their spirit.
Reviews
"Some of the most powerful and evocative art being produced by the rising generation of younger sculptors is that of Harry Gordon. The first Gordons I saw were immensely powerful, dense wooden sculptures which loomed like legendary giants. They invited a willing suspension of disbelief with their deeply moving evocation of the primeval forces which Gordon has unlocked... subsequently, the superimposed, interlocking forms which Gordon carves out of giant rocks contain faint echoes of the Cyclopean Inca walls of Cuzco and of the menhirs and lintels of Stonehenge, yet instead always remaining true to the spirit of our own century". ~Andre Emmerich, Andre Emmerich Gallery, essay for exhibit catalog for Morris Arboretum, UPenn, 1994.
"Gordon's sensitivity to these natural mediums is evident in the way they are developed into gentle giants, enhancing and animating the landscape in which they are placed, rather than overwhelming their environment." ~catalog essay, Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ, 2010.
