Harold O`Connor Meanderings – Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Place: Copper Museum, Patryzantów 3
Exhibition open till: 11th June 2017
Harold O'Connor – American artist, born 23.08.1941 in Utica, New York, currently lives and Works in Salida, Colorado (USA). A practicing goldsmith & teacher for over 40 years.
Like his work and his concept of it, O'Connor defies ordinary labels. Not just a goldsmith or jeweler, he remains a singular artist of extraordinary experience and depth. Educated in the great European goldsmith centres (National Arts & Crafts School, Copenhagen, Denmark; National Arts School, Helsinki, Finland; College of Art & Design, Pforzheim, Germany; International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Salzburg, Austria), he has participated in scores of one-man shows, invitational and juried exhibitions, lectures, and has had many articles about him published in Europe and America. He is the author of "The Jewelers Bench Reference" (a standard reference work on the jeweller's art) and "The Flexibleshaft Machine". He has conducted countless workshops throughout the world including Portugal, Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, England, former Yugoslavia, Peru, USA and Canada. O'Connor is one of the few masters who continues to work most of his metal from the bullion stage by smelting, alloying, rolling, drawing, forging, annealing and fabricating each of his pieces by hand.
After studying psychology, sociology and philosophy; obtaining a degree in anthropology (specializing in the field of ethnology) I was drawn back to my former interest in working with my hands. As a youngster I was attracted to building miniature structures of various materials. My artist mother encouraged my creative endeavors during my formative years and through high school.
Upon completion of university studies I was attracted to create metal art. I wanted to use my mind together with my hands and also with my heart. I have been at this creative pursuit for over 55 years, earning a living from what I love to do. Being an artist is how I chose to spend my time here on Earth – every day being new and different.
I approach jewelry making as a fine art. I enjoy working with diverse materials for their aesthetic value, NOT their intrinsic value. My work over the years has focused upon using traditional techniques of metalwork in a contemporary way. My works are sculptural in nature as my influences are inspired from living and past sculptures working in stone, wood and metal. I create small objects which happen to be wearable. Other influences in my art come from my travels to exotic lands, interaction with nature, and reaction to facets of society.
Harold O'Connor
Harold O'Connor's works can be seen in private and public collections including:
The National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; The Goldsmiths Hall, London, England; Cesky Raj Museum, Turnov, Czech Republic; The Gallery of Art, Legnica, Poland; The German Goldsmith Society, Hanau, Germany; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., USA.
Solo exhibitions (selection):
Patina Gallery, Santa Fe: Harold O'Connor's Private Collection, 2014
Spotlight Show: Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA, 2013
DSI Gallery, The Steamplant, Salida, CO, 2013, 2012
Telluride Gallery of Fine Arts, Telluride, CO, 2009
Gallery Gac, Seoul, Korea, 2005
Fluerys Gallery, Houston, TX, 2004
Wheaton College Gallery, Wheaton IL, 2004
Galeria Sztuki Złotniczej, Wrocław, Poland, 2001
Galeria Sztuki, Legnica, Poland, 2001
The Sybaris Gallery, Royal Oak, MI, 2000
Salida Cafe, Salida, CO, 2000
Found Objects, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 1998
Sculptural Objects and Jewelry, Mobilia, Cambridge, MA, 1998
Granulated Surfaces, Connell Gallery, Atlanta, GA, 1997
Galeria – Escola de Joalharia, Lisbon, Portugal, 1994
Ateljee 585, Helsinki, Finland, 1988
Breckenridge Goldsmith Gallery, Breckenridge, CO, 1987
Tavernier, Denver, CO, 1980
Fred Myers Studio, Denver, CO, 1980
Silverworks, Boulder, CO, 1979
Glenbow Alberta Art Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1972
Library, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary, Canada, 1972
Scandinavian Lodge, Steamboat Springs, CO, 1971
Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1971
Jaccard's, Kansas City, MO, 1968
Carrol Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, 1968
Kansallis – Pankki, Helsinki, Rinland, 1968
Don Poncho Fine Arts Theater, Albuquerque, NM, 1965
Group exhibitions (selection out of a total of over 150):
Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Beijing, China
SOFA, Chicago
Aaron Faber Gallery, NYC
ART OF THE RING, Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Contemporary Art Jewelry Today – Racine Art Reswick Gallery
Smithsonian InsAC, Seoul, Korea
Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
National Craft Gallery of Ireland, Kilkenny, Ireland
InternationalJewelry Arts Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
7th International Jewelry Arts Exhibition, Jablonec, Czech Republic
EXPERIMENTA, Hanau, Germany
Contacto Directo Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
National Invitational, Connell Gallery, Atlanta, GA