I have a lot of stories about Elmer so I guess I better get going.
All of them good. Those who only knew Elmer from a distance may have
thought that he was really harsh and aggressive.......OK, I get that,
but that was the outer skin. Maybe some defense mechanism he had
adopted, because inside he was a really loving and caring man. I think
you had to earn his respect before he revealed the real ET. He deeply
cared about people and with students he used whatever approach he felt
might work to move the person on down the road to doing better work. He
expressed to me one time that some students need a kick in the ass,
others need a hug. I think he was pretty good at applying the right
approach. If the student was willing to make a commitment and give it
110%, he was right there trying to figure out how to encourage, cajole,
direct......and yes, sometimes intimidate, although I don't think it was
ever out of maliciousness or meanness.
But here is the story I
wanted to tell. My first semester with him at UNT in the spring of '74,
he asked me if I wanted to go with him up to Oklahoma to attend a
weekend workshop with some hotshot ceramic artist. I thought, why not.
Elmer, Bill Dennard (who I think was actually Elmer's first grad
student) and I got in the car and drove up to Norman for a two day
workshop with Peter Voulkos. I had never heard of him. It was an
amazing experience for someone (me) who had been working with clay for
only two years. I remember the intensity, concentration and abandon he
had working with clay. I remember that Voulkos made a huge platter with
porcelain wads punched through, a tall stacked piece and several ice
buckets, all the time drinking cocktails from a thermos. After returning
to Denton, I did a lot of reading about Voulkos, and was surprised and
delighted to see images of the beautiful functional pots that he made,
casseroles, pitchers, bowls. Then I understood that the looseness and
impressionistic quality of his works were derived from an acute study of
utilitarian form. I later learned that making functional pots for
anyone working with clay is an important activity because, as figure
drawing is important to painting, making utilitarian pots is important
to learn how to really see the intricate details of form and surface.
That is what a three-year apprenticeship in a functional pottery studio
does for you. Elmer made it possible for our time spent with both
Michael and David Leach, where I really learned how to "see", and gained
the skills and tools to make what I "saw".
I remember trying to
figure out if this guy (ET) liked the work Voulkos made, or not. I never
really did know, although he used Voulkos more as a catalyst for
discussion. I know later down the road he had Pete for workshops at UNT
one, maybe two times. The one I attended at UNT, Voulkos didn't show up
until late at night to start the workshop. In hindsight, I think it was
pretty generous for him to share that experience with me. It certainly
gave me an indication of his level of commitment to my process.
So that
first semester began a dynamic that lasted a long time. I put energy
into making a lot of work and learning, Elmer matched that energy. The
more I was present, the more he was present. I think that is the way it
is supposed to work.
I have a lot of pictures, somewhere......of Elmer, Dianne Taylor,
of mine and Daphne's time in Denton, in England, the many New Year's
Eves we spent together, David Leach workshops (3) at our studio......a
lot of really great times with Elmer and Dianne. Also, there are many
other mutual friendships with others from my time at UNT that have
continued. As many have expressed, it is really hard to get your head
around his passing. Life has some hard things it hands out at times.
Thankfully those hard times are mitigated by friendships and deep
relationships/experiences with fine people. So glad our paths converged.
Thank you Elmer.
