Eric Furman
HAC Member Since: 2006
707 725 6361
http://www.ericfurmansculpture.com
Eric Furman is driven to create art not only by a lifelong interest in sculpture and metalwork, but also by his discomfort with our increasingly fragmented society. The majority of Eric's work is abstract, but some pieces are representational and often deal with current themes. Contrasting forms reflect dissonant voices - with or without resolution. Acute angles infuse his work: elements appearing upright are rarely vertical and perceived right angles are often not ninety degrees.
He attempts to build physical meaning from chaos by repurposing metal - remodeling a small part of our world by cutting, machining, forging, and joining metals. Reuse/Recycle is more than a motto for Eric. Many of his sculptural elements are recycled metal fragments.
Eric believes abstract sculpture will continue to be a vital part of the contemporary art scene through this century. Although his work does not belong to any particular school of art, it remains true to a modernistm abstract tradition with emphasis on constructivism. T.S.Elliot wrote, "Between the conception and the creation, falls the shadow." To me, this is an apt description of my struggle to make sculpture - the concept, the shadow of reality, and the resulting creation. When working on a sculpture, I try to maintain the idea's inspiration while dealing with the reality of process engineering. How to keep a concept artistically flowing through the complexities of metal alloys, elastic limits, spring constants, sheer strength, wind loading, and seemingly a thousand other practical matters; is a fundamental demon I daily wrestle.
One of my favorite oil painters, Stock Schlueter, says that artists are a curious blend of hubris and humility - hubris to think they can create what their mind sees, and humility when they view the finished product. In many ways this continual search to fulfill an inner vision, is what drives me to keep creating new pieces.
