Wharton Esherick: The Journey of a Creative Mind is the first and only comprehensive look at the colorful life and work of this seminal artist-craftsman. Written by Esherick's son-in-law, it is rich in biographical detail. Lavishly illustrated, it features photos from the Esherick archive in combination with photographs taken expressly for this book of the woodland studio that Esherick designed, built, and furnished for himself over the course of several decades. Now a historic house museum, preserved as Esherick left it, this remarkable structure and its contents, almost all of which he made by hand, are testament to the warmth, poetry, and passion of the one of America's most influential and celebrated artist-craftsman.
Artist Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) is best known for his sculptural wood pieces and the way he applied the principles of sculpture to designs for functional objects. His pioneering work has made him an inspiration to fine woodworkers worldwide, helping to elevate the medium from craft to major art museums. Much of Esherick’s work is now on display in this rural studio he built on a hillside in Pennsylvania. This catalog documents, with beautiful color photography, more than 130 paintings, woodblock prints, sculpture, and utilitarian objects found at the Wharton Esherick Museum. One gains an appreciation for the range and depth of Esherick’s work when these pieces can be studied individually.
Wharton Esherick: The Journey of a Creative Mind is the first and only comprehensive look at the colorful life and work of this seminal artist-craftsman. Written by Esherick's son-in-law, it is rich in biographical detail. Lavishly illustrated, it features photos from the Esherick archive in combination with photographs taken expressly for this book of the woodland studio that Esherick designed, built, and furnished for himself over the course of several decades. Now a historic house museum, preserved as Esherick left it, this remarkable structure and its contents, almost all of which he made by hand, are testament to the warmth, poetry, and passion of the one of America's most influential and celebrated artist-craftsman.