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Chris Holmquist |
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DATELINE: APRIL 13, 1997, SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA:
At the Saint Paul Civic Center, potter Chris Holmquist prepares for his
nth arts and crafts fair this year. He hangs one of his current sculptures
on a display wall: it is a man with a star surmounting his head; a small
dog is leaping magically through the matter of his legs as if it were
empty space.
"I'm well-known for my large two-dimensional plates,"
explains Holmquist.
"But recently I've been interested in three-dimensional hanging
sculptures. I find I can present these images now with an added sense of
depth."
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Holmquist built his pottery studio next to his house, five miles east
of Northfield, MN. In this pastoral setting, Holmquist, along with his
wife Sue, creates bright colored earthenware vessels, platters and
sculptures. His work shows people and animals in simple environments:
kitchens, boats and homes. But there is an element of the fantastic in all
of these scenes: Holmquist's horses inevitably fly through the air; his
dogs leap through solid objects; his raccoons and cats purposefully row
canoes. |
A 1970 St. Olaf college art major, Holmquist studied painting, but
after graduation discovered the difficulty of supporting oneself painting.
Soon he realized that he enjoyed pottery and could also make money selling
his pieces. In 1972 he went to Japan on an apprenticeship to study with
folk potter Kumao Ota and then returned to Northfield. In the beginning,
his pots were purely functional, containing no images. It wasn't until
1984 that he combined his first love-painting-with pottery. He began to
create small wearable pins, with images of cartoon dogs and turtles.
Before long he was presenting images like this on pots, candleholders,
plates and sculptures.
"Now my pottery makes much more of a personalized
statement," Holmquist says. "I like painting images and
characters rather than simple forms, so my pieces almost always tell a
story or make some sort of statement." Holmquist's style has a strong
childlike quality, reminiscent of Maurice Sendak or a softer, less caustic
Bill Plympton. "I'm excited for people to see my work,"
Holmquist says. "It's rewarding to strike a chord and touch someone with
your art."
Holmquist attends as many as fourteen arts and crafts
shows each year, most of which are outside Minnesota. This relentless
touring is what allows the Holmquists to sell their work and make a
living.
Last year Holmquist Pottery went on-line. The web site
allows Holmquist to spend more time working and less time on the road.
"Sue and I wanted to create a site which gave viewers a chance to
discover our work," Holmquist said. "We want to travel less but
still provide new works to our loyal patrons." Holmquist has recently
expanded the web site to include an on-line catalogue of his work, as well
as a first-hand look at his new creations. |
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(952)
884-1820