On the Walk
New Works by Sarah Harms at the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery
A tiny glimpse of my morning walks along the Verde River
For the past 15 years, I’ve been walking dogs almost every morning along the stretch of Verde River that flows near our house in Camp Verde. What began as a way to tame puppy energy has become my main source of inspiration, immense joy, spirituality and utter magic. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to begin each day surrounded by such beauty, and the gifts I have received from the riverside forest in the desert.
As a way to give back, I am basing my upcoming show at The Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery on a very few of things I see on my walk, and will donate 10% of my proceeds from the show to Friends of The Verde River, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of our beloved Verde River, and the flora and fauna that inhabit its banks.
There is soooo much visual inspiration for me, but I’m currently focusing my works to be included in the show on rocks, trees, and the river’s edge. I document much of what I see in photographs, then translate what I see into simple graphic images that lend themselves to the materials I work with. Mostly clay and metal these days, but also felted wool. As a production artist, one of my challenges is creating designs that can be made multiple times, while keeping the works affordable. My designs morph and evolve in my head when I’m working on a batch of pieces, then must come out in the actual materials. For example: I have been making Aspen tree themed mugs for a couple years, and have now added Sycamores, Ponderosa Pines, and more fantastical trees into the mix.
A couple weeks ago, a blacksmith friend showed me how to make mokume gane, an ancient Japanese technique meaning ‘wood grain’. Many layers of metal are stacked together and fused using heat and pressure. The billet is then forged down, drilled and carved into, revealing the layers in different patterns, then forged down to the desired thickness. It’s a very strenuous and time-consuming process, but the results are stunning and certainly lend themselves to trees and rocks. I’m working on a jewelry line that incorporates the mokume, as well as exploring the technique in clay at the moment. Gratitude and creative mania!! I look forward to sharing a glimpse of my magical mornings with you.
The show opens June 7 and runs through July 29 at the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery, located at 502 Main St, Jerome. Art walk receptions will be held on June 7 and July 5 from 4-7:30 pm. All are welcome.
www.jeromecoop.com 928-639-4276
