About HOWARD HITCHCOCK
INTRODUCTION
American artist Howard Hitchcock lived from 1927 until 2016. His remarkable body of work – including sculptures, paintings and prints – offers a compelling perspective on individuality, relationships and the human condition. Infused with elements of wit and ambiguity, his unique works continue to intrigue and inspire appreciators of fine art.
WORK
Beyond metal and sculpture, Howard’s talents have been revealed in watercolors, acrylics, hand pulled prints and drypoints inspired by his world travels and interest in the human spirit. His sculptures, paintings and prints have been exhibited throughout the United States, Mexico and Japan. He is included as a noteworthy visual artist in “Who’s Who in American Art.”
BACKGROUND & EDUCATION
Howard Hitchcock spent a lifetime creating and teaching art. The renowned artist and art educator was born in Missouri in 1927, grew up in Western Washington, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in WWII.
Following his service, he began his extensive education with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art at the College of Puget Sound, followed by a Masters degree in Fine Arts, printmaking, painting and sculpture from the University of Washington, Seattle. This is where he studied with the world famous sculptor Alexander Archipenko.
After four years of teaching in Kentucky, Howard was awarded a grant to work on his doctorate. This led him to New York City, courses at Columbia University and his first casting of bronze sculpture through the Brooklyn Museum School of Art.
His very first sculpture class took place in 1956 on the rooftop of an apartment complex near 71st Street in Manhattan, where the class went to pour the bronze. Though all of Howard’s molds leaked that night, he absolutely loved the experience – and never stopped creating sculpture.
An extension of the grant that led Howard to New York enabled him to complete his Dr. of Education degree in Fine Arts and Fine Arts Education degree from teachers college, Columbia University. In 1963 he earned a doctoral study entitled “Sculpture in the College and University Art Programs.”
SCULPTURE CASTING
In 1958, Howard moved to California, where he lived much of his life in Huntington Beach. An emeritus professor of art at Cal State Long Beach, Howard Hitchcock began his career working in wood and clay. Modifying an industrial casting process, he brought a unique approach to sculpture that he explored and improved upon for nearly 20 years. For 32 years, he also devoted himself to sharing this knowledge as a university professor of art, teaching a course in bronze casting for close to two decades.
The artistic vision of Howard Hitchcock, one informed by humor, satire, and even commentary, belies the seriousness of his skills and intellect. Every remarkable bronze he created challenges viewers to work out its cleverness. In the artist’s sculptures, stylized human forms blend into the structure of objects, both imagined and ordinary, and as disparate as train stations and violins. These human forms by Howard Hitchcock form the spokes of wheels, push over-sized envelopes and, in a piece entitled, “On the Cutting Edge,” perch atop a blade.
BOOK – “OUT OF THE FIERY FURNACE”
The ceramic shell mold industrial casting process that Howard Hitchcock developed into his own unique approach to casting sculpture is one that not only captured his skill and imagination but also his heart.
As the artist noted in the preface to his instructional book, “Out of the Fiery Furnace” (William Kaufmann, Inc. 1985), “Ceramic shell casting is the most spectacular art process imaginable, particularly at the crescendo of a night pour when the glowing, golden stream of liquid bronze flows into the red-hot shell, bringing it to neon incandescence in the dark.”
To help us understand this exciting process, the preface of book begins: “Lost-wax casting is truly an ancient and venerable art that has been practiced in diverse cultures and continents over thousands of years. The most modern approach to that ancient process, dating from only the mid-point of the twentieth century, is ceramic shell casting. Instead of being encased in the traditional solid-block mold that weakens in the heat of burnout, the wax model is thinly coated with a ceramic material that is fired by the burnout into a hard, lightweight shell for receiving the molten bronze. In both cases, whatever was wax becomes bronze.”
HUNTINGTON BEACH
Howard was directly involved with the art of Huntington Beach as a member of the Allied Art Board, and he also donated works of art for the art auctions that raised money for the purpose of supporting the idea of an Art Center in Huntington Beach.
In 1991, thanks to Howard and other supporters, the Huntington Beach Art Center was opened. Howard served as a president of the Allied Art Board of Huntington Beach, and was selected “Outstanding Artist of the Year” in1 989.
ANDERSON ART GALLERY
Howard has been represented by the Anderson Art Gallery in Sunset Beach since it opened in 1995. From the very first day of the gallery’s opening, Howard’s sculptures haves been on view in the front window for anyone passing by to appreciate.
“As the gallery owner,” said Bill Anderson, “I have a great appreciation for Howardʼs work – for so many reasons.To begin with he has his own unique style that makes it authentically his work. No one else does sculpture like Howard.”
“It is clear that all of his work is skillfully executed, but what grabs your attention is his unique creativity. There are basically two directions his creative mind goes his with two-dimensional and three-dimensional work. One is emphasizing the aesthetic beauty of the subject matter that he interprets. The second direction involves making a statement about our human condition, usually with a subtle sense of humor. With most of these images he includes a human figure that has been simplified in his unique manner and style.”
“A great example of this is a large bronze sculpture titled “Giving for Life,” which stands in front of the American Cancer office in downtown Long Beach. This fine work of art makes a strong, positive statement regarding our survival as one confronts this awful disease.”
“His painting and printmaking are built on his concept of sculpture, and reflect his approach to that media. His printmaking and painting definitely have a life of their own since he shows respect for the media and its distinct difference from the materials used in his three dimensional work. The majority of his artistic images come purely from his uniquely creative, intellectual mind.”
MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
Howard's work is included in several important collections including the National Museum of Watercolor in Mexico, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, and the J.B. Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.
His art can also be found in the Anderson Art Gallery in Huntington Beach, the Sandstone Gallery in Laguna Beach, and the Lanning Gallery in Sedona, Arizona.
