Donald Locke….in his own words

“For the developing countries, the sociological and nationalistic value of Art is incalculable. The activity of our artists is a sure indication of the quality of our civilization. If we want to step out independently into the world, among other things, the work of our artists must also be able to bear the scrutiny of the ‘World Outside’.”

Quote by Donald Locke: The New World, January 18, 1965. “Portrait of an Artist” by Nancy Graham

“My art, ultimately, is concerned with human relationship. Not human relationship in an esoteric  sense, but in a straightforward, everyday sense. I believe that I play around with simple ideas. Stravinsky had no more or no less to work with than any other composer, great or small. I believe this to be true in all art”

Donald Locke: Arizona Republic, June 26,1983, “Hardball: Sculptor’s Intellectual Demands Teamed up with Aesthetic Drive” by E.J. Montini.

“When I am working on a bronze sculpture or painting, I am aware that I have to override the physical imperatives which are perceived as inherent in the material. I have to impose an alien will into the process so that steel ceases to be “steel,” marble ceases to be “marble.” bronze ceases to be “bronze,” and a new life form is generated”

Donald Locke: “Artists among Us” Spring 1989 Contemporary Forum Newsletter

“Mother Nature gave us a material [Clay] which could come in a great many different physical states or conditions. Clay could be liquid, plastic, solid or baked. It could be crumbly, dust-like or hard as palster. It could be mixed with a wide range of other materials: sand, crushed rock or powdered metal, paper pulp, or nylon fibers, all which would drastically remake its physical state at the moment it is being used. When I weighed all matters, the conclusion was inescapable – clay in its natural material state, i.e., prior to entering the craft potter’s arena, has no conventions.”

Donald Locke interviewed by Carl E. Hazlewood, New York, 1992