Time with ET.

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.