Artist Jack Howard-Potter is a sculptor who is inspired by movement and the human anatomy; interests that have driven him to create his huge, eye-catching, and absolutely signature figurative sculptures. His works are very large-scale and made out of steel; they have been exhibited throughout the world--mostly in outdoor locations--and have garnered much acclaim.
Inspirations for art and design
Jack was born and raised in New York City where he still resides with his wife and two children. He has been inspired by artists such as George Ricky and Alexander Calder as well as by dancers and the performing arts.
He earned a degree in Art History and had been creating and displaying his own works since 1997 when he made more than a dozen life-sized works for his thesis at Union College. The show was successful and led to sales and started him on his career as an artist.
After college, Jack moved to Colorado and worked as a blacksmith for a company that designed and made furniture. During this two-year frame of time, he did not make any sculptures but instead learned everything he could about his medium of choice, steel. By 2001, he had moved back to New York and was working on his art once again in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He also studied the human figure in classes at the famed Art Students League. Via his sculptural art, he is especially interested in the flexibility of the human form and the gracefulness that it is capable of conveying.
Human forms and structures
Jack first became interested in the concept of the human form in sculpture when he was studying art history. "From thousands of years ago the human form has been a subject in art," he stated in a recent exclusive Interview. "As humans, we are trained to recognize others and so my sculptures are figures that people are comfortable looking at.
I'm essentially using my style to combine classic works with a modern flare."
Jack was fascinated by the classical works of the Greeks and Romans. He regards Bernini as being a major influence as well as works which are on display in the Vatican such as the "Belvedere Torso" and "Laocoön and His Sons" which are depicted fighting serpents.
"The Romans perfected the art of showing the body in motion," Jack said. "Their figures twist and pull, and that adds realism that has always appealed to me."
Jack has made nearly two hundred figurative sculptures over the course of his career and regards "The Muse"--a figure of a silver woman reaching to the sky--as being his most daring sculpture to date, and it is also the largest structure, standing incredible twenty-seven feet tall. Perhaps the most incredible thing about his artwork is that he makes it all himself--with the occasional aid of a crane operator. For instance, he created "Muse" in six parts in his backyard when he was living in Albany, New York. He then drove the piece to Vermont where it is still displayed.
Future projects and aspirations
Jack's works have earned him permanent displays in sculpture gardens, parks, galleries, and towns and cities all over the globe. Additionally, he is an active member of the Young Executive Board of the Elisa Monte Dance Company, a position which enables him to draw and sketch the rehearsals and be inspired by the dancers. Jack is also an avid cyclist who competes in multiple races every year.
His most recent project has been the creation of a model for a piece called "Justice" which will be rendered in the classic style of the "Scales of Justice" but include two swings that people can actually sit and swing on. He submitted the idea to New York City Parks, but they rejected his proposal.
"I really want to find a home for 'Justice' since I'm building it," Jack said. "Hopefully once people see it they will want to display it."
Although he had previously created work that moves--including a figure sitting on a swing that people call propel forward--"Justice" is an innovative idea since it will be Jack's very first design that people can literally sit and swing on. Jack is also hopeful that he will have artwork displayed on Governors Island this September.
"I love to see the ideas in my head turn into real life figures," he stated. "It's one of the greatest joys of being a professional sculptor."
