THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512020167
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Patrick Harrison was halfway through college before the light dawned.
Prior to this illumination, he was concentrating on English and political science.
But then had a fateful conversation with an art student and saw a new way to view his education.
``I finally figured out that I could go to school and do exactly what I wanted to do,'' Harrison said. ``Go to school and mess with wood.''
For the next two years he studied art, focusing on woodworking, sculpture and ceramics.
This May, Harrison graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in wood design.
Wood - in many forms - continues to be his focus, though he confesses to love affairs with white marble and bronze.
Harrison's passion for working with his hands was ignited in his teens.
He enjoyed spending time in his grandfather's wood shop, where they made rocking chairs and simple tables.
Harrison's family-owned businesses involved building supplies and cedar, so at an early age he was surrounded by the tools of his future trade.
Add the fact that his father, Buddy Harrison, was an ECU art graduate in sculpture, and the move into the arts and woodworking seem natural.
Natural is a good word to describe Harrison, who at 25 approaches his work with integrity and simplicity. He recalls that one of his professors wasn't sold on all of his ideas, like exposing brass screws on a fine art table. But rather than surrender, Harrison took the time to explain his point of view.
A stripe that Harrison inserts down the center of many of his wooden tables is one of his trademarks, echoing the work of influential 20th century sculptor Brancusi.
Harrison admires Brancusi's love for simple shapes. Achieving purity - or in Harrison's words, ``boiling it down to its simplest form'' - is over and again is the young man's goal. From his thematic man and woman series done in wood and again in marble, his lines and shapes are minimal, fluid and unpretentious.
For contrast, Harrison uses texture, leaving some of the wood unfinished while other parts are soft and polished. The rough and the smooth areas represent the texture of different personalities, adding a literal feel despite his abstraction of the human form.
``Everybody's got a rough edge behind that smooth facade,'' Harrison explained.
Further contrast is achieved by using more than one kind of wood or metal in each piece. Both in a functional table and a sculpture, these couplings work well. Copper piping used to support a wooden table top reflects the color in the stripe bisecting the piece.
Harrison uses black walnut, mahogany, purple heart, maple and African utile to create furniture. His sculptures are made from wood, clay, marble and bronze. Poplar was his choice for a boat sculpture.
Harrison loves to sail and fish. His appreciation for the framing stage in boat building compelled him to create a boat frame sculpture. He's also simplified the shape of a boat's hull to design several sculptures honoring his love for sea-going vessels.
Creating art is a love affair for Harrison. Right now the Nags Head artist is designing a studio and shop where he'll continue his liaison with art and functional furniture while also doing custom mantelpieces, flooring, remodeling and trim work.
If he continues to approach his work with the integrity, simplicity and love that he's shown, this affair will likely become a successful marriage. MEMO: If you are interested in custom-made furniture or sculpture, you can
contact Patrick Harrison at 480-1331.
ILLUSTRATION: Patrick Harrison, 25, graduated in May form East Carolina
University with a degree in wood design. Harrison, who admires
Brancusi's love for simple shapes, says achieving purity, or
``boiling it down to its simplest form'' is his goal. From his
thematic man and woman series done in wood and again in marble, his
lines and shapes are minimal, fluid and unpretentious.
Photo by
MARY ELLEN EIDDLE
by CNB