With
his latest body of work, American ceramist and teacher David Furman ventures
into new territory, leaving behind a solid reputation built upon his complex
trompe l'oeil pieces - pencil cans, artists brushes, bulletin and chalk boards
and whimsical, erotically-charged porcelain teapots made of stacked fruit
and vegetables.
This current work is derived from the wooden mannequins that are used in art
classes to teach figure drawing. Furman explores human interaction by creating
various scenes using these neutral-gray, mannequin-like figures. The viewer,
when seeing these anonymous figures, devoid of costume and color, is forced
to explore these encounters through such basic tools as gesture and posture.
"The important task is to breathe life into these figures," he explains. "I want to explore a rich and diverse range of human emotion. Herein lies the challenge, because emotions are generally ephemeral and feelings are often hidden. I've had to rely on nuance and gesture as I've explored the possibilities for helping these figures become compassionate and human."
David Furman earned a BA at the University of Oregon in 1969 and an MFA at the University of Washington in 1972. He has been Professor of Art at Pitzer College, Claremont, California, since 1973, where he currently occupies the Peter and Gloria Gold Endowed Chair. . He was an NCECA director-at-large from 1986-88 and secretary treasurer in 1989.
He has won numerous awards, including NEA Fellowships in 1975, 1986 and 1996 and Fulbright Senior Artists Fellowships in 1979 (Peru), 1990 (Costa Rica) and 2000 (Peru). His 2000 grant enabled him to work at the National School of Fine Art, and with marginalized middle school children in Lima, Peru, making community ceramic tile mural projects. In 2005 he won the Silver Medal at the 3rd World Ceramic Biennale in Korea. This is his 41st solo exhibition.
San Angelo Museum
of Fine Arts
One Love Street
San Angelo, Texas 76903
Fax: (325) 658 - 6800
Phone: (325) 653 -
3333
e-mail:
museum@samfa.org