Frater, Norman

Artist Statement
I sculpt human forms that can express feelings and meaning. In this sense sculpting is the communication of my own thoughts and feelings. My current work involves rugged western folk: a cowboy; ranch hand; mountain man or such. The roughness of high fired sculpture clay lends an authenticity to the character of hard working men and women, while the warmth of the clay gives it humanity. In contrast to this ruggedness I often sculpt the beautiful woman – the one who holds interest for me, the one who strikes a visual strength often by holding a distant gaze. In truth these two individuals may be parts of the same person, the kind of person I admire. Although I sometimes sculpt animals that have special meaning, the human form is the most communicative for me.

I didn’t know I was a sculptor until I took pottery classes. I realized then that sculpture better fit my tendencies to produce complex surfaces, rugged textures and substantial thickness and mass. My sculptures are all hand modeled using water-based sculpture clay, which has a gritty earth feel and brings back to me the joys of childhood play in sandboxes and mud puddles. My figures are modeled completely solid in clay and must be hollowed out and dried completely before kiln firing. Years of experience have allowed me to master the varied moods of moist clay, and successfully fire thick, uneven sculpture sections. My favorite patina consists of high firing with metal oxide stains, followed by layered acrylic washes to augment the color while preserving the high fired clay texture.

The first decision of what to sculpt is often a single magazine picture showing a face or figure that captures my attention. It probably is telling me a story or expressing feelings that resonate with me. I have binders full of such pictures that I might select to become sculptures. At other times I will start with a lump of recycled clay and build it and work it until a figure spontaneously appears. In either case once the face and expression start to develop, the sculpture becomes alive for me. I can’t explain my passion for sculpture. It just suits my patience, my attention to detail, and my visualization of three-dimensions from my engineering design career. I give credit to my mother who taught me to appreciate music and art, my father who taught me how to make and fix things, the beauty of nature and my spiritual connection with our Creator.

About Norman Frater
Norman admired his mother’s watercolors and pastels before he was old enough for kindergarten. With his sister he spent hours at a time coloring and painting on rainy days at their northern Wisconsin cottage. But in high school, his interests changed to math, science, music and photography. Graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics and from Stanford University with a master’s degree in civil engineering, he used his artistic talents in engineering design work for IBM in San Jose, California.

After midlife he returned to the visual arts and through classes and workshops in the San Francisco bay area discovered his specific calling in clay sculpture. Moving to central Oregon gave Norman opportunity to pursue sculpture and take numerous art classes at Central Oregon Community College. With his wife’s encouragement, he designed and built a studio and began sculpting and teaching classes. Norman has been sculpting the figure since 1995. His first ceramic sculpture commission, “The Worried Man”, was installed in a conference room at IBM Corporation, San Jose, CA, in 1998. With each sculpture class that he taught, he was exposed to new problems that needed immediate solutions. So with every class he taught, he learned more in relation to the figure, its features and proportions, ceramic techniques, types of clay, successful sculpture firing, and application of patinas.

He was invited to join the High Desert Art League in 2003 and began exhibiting in their group shows. A year after joining the Clay Guild of the Cascades, Norman won “Best of Show” at Wildfire 2008 Pottery Showcase for his sculpture “The Drover”. These two groups of professional artists gave him continuing exposure, contacts, encouragement and continuing education in all aspects of generating and showing art, including writing, graphics and business skills.

Norman conducts several classes in portraiture and the figure in clay each year at his private studio. He is available for commission work in ceramic and bronze, portraiture, and figurative sculpture. He has cast several clay sculptures in bronze, however, he prefers the spontaneity, texture and warmth of original clay sculpture as his medium of choice.

Affiliations:
High Desert Art League, Bend, OR
Clay Guild of the Cascades, Bend, OR

Special Recognition / Awards:
2008    Best of Show, Sculpture, Wildfire Pottery Showcase 2008, Bend, OR
2005    Faculty Purchase Award by Central Oregon Community College
2005    First place Sculpture, Central Oregon Community College student art show
2000    First place in 3D Design, Central Oregon Community College student art show
1998    Second place in “That’s Amore” juried show at Mirror Pond Gallery, Bend, OR

Artist Code: NKF

Artist Norman Frater’s Website