Mark Harriman

CREATIONS IN CORK
“He started to sing as he tackled that thing
that couldn’t be done and he did it.”
-Edgar Guest

I have often found inspiration from Edgar Guest, known as America’s Poet in the early 20th Century, particularly the passage from “It Couldn’t Be Done” quoted above. In creating these cork sculptures, I hardly blazed a new trail. I did, though, embark on this path with some trepidation which had to be conquered: translating a simple vision and a commonly discarded item into a work of art, all the while being taken somewhat seriously as a “creationist” (I hesitate to call myself an artist among a wonderfully talented group who works with brush and canvas). Along the way I repeatedly found myself happily tackling many monsters –some real, some imagined- which alighted my way, with a tune always at my lips.

I found my inspiration not only in my life-long fascination of artwork displayed on a simple cork itself, but also on a safari to Napa Valley, California a few short years ago. Partaking in the sites, sounds and smells –oh, those smells- at the peak of the harvest and crush transported this viticultural neophyte to another world. Were it not for the directional signage written in plain English, I could have closed my eyes and been whisked away to the valleys of France or the mountains of Italy. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Gradually, my penchant for hoarding colorful corks melded with my poignant memories of a glorious vacation in Wine Country USA. The result is what you see before you.

In producing these cork sculptures I have endeavored to create an original work (hence, the name “Harry Originals”), one that comes from my own lens -quirks and all. A placement here, an angle there, an inside joke hidden in plain site for only you or me to know -all are done with a vision and inspiration that springs from the simplicity and grandeur of nature itself.