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H.P. Bloomer

H.P. Bloomer is a ceramicist and curator who has exhibited across the United States, particularly in Colorado and Texas. Recent solo exhibitions include features at galleries such as Carbondale Clay Center in Colorado, Willits Center for the Arts in California, and Cobb Mountain Art & Ecology Project in California where he also had a residency. Throughout his career, H.P. has participated in over 120 exhibitions to date. His works remain in collections throughout the United States, most notably with Arrowmont School of the Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Benton & Gradow Collection in Aspen, University of North Texas, and the Vicki & David Snyder Collection. H.P. participates in frequent art fairs such as the Texas Clay Festival, Poetry in Ceramic and Allen Arts Festival in Texas. Recent publications include features in Ceramics Monthly and Ceramics Arts Daily.

The vessels within H.P. Bloomer’s bodies of work are either stoneware or porcelain, which means they are fired at high temperatures giving them a stone-like appearance. These pieces of ceramics have an epic, mythological appearance, as if they were the personal vessels of the titan Prometheus, god of fire and earth. With an ancient and aged stone or bronze-like appearance, the vessels usually incorporate various slabs of foliage designs based on local Texan plants which H.P. has observed in the field.

Typically containing neutral hues or bright colored glazes, the vessels are carefully toned with inconsistent yet mostly monochromatic colors which smear or spackle across the surface texture. These vessels appear ancient, similar to the appearance of Roman pottery but with contemporary design elements such as asymmetrically placed foliage slabs. Reminiscent of French Rococo painting and furniture design, the various strips of foliage and plant life are portrayed in intricate, stylized patterns, but placed unpredictably throughout the vessel's surface.

Chollo Bottle, Cone 6 (pictured above) appears like a sculptural installation with minimalist-style application of color and slabs of vine strips asymmetricaly and randomly apportioned throughout the surface, Standing tall and confident, the vessel contains a long but sturdy neck followed by a stretched out slim body. The glaze on the piece almost appears as if applied with sandpaper and several slabs of vertical brushstrokes. Crude, yet elegant, refined yet ancient and brutish, the vessel communicates dichotomies of contradictions.

H.P. Bloomer can be described as a unique ceramicist who bridges both decorative as well as wabi-sabi approaches to ceramics. His vessels portray contemporary, ancient, and even Baroque aesthetics, creating a fusion and synthesis catered to refined tastes. His direct approach leads to interpretations of local foliage with monumental and asymmetrical placement implications through stoneware and porcelain techniques. With a sense of composure and elegance, H.P. Bloomer redefines the purpose of contemporary ceramics with infusions of exotic textures, organic application of glazes, and unique, composed designs.