About the Artist

Biography

H Ternowski One of Ternowski's most interesting qualities is his engagement in a large variety of media. His blacksmith work is as strong and massive as his jewelry work is delicate and detailed. Every artwork Ternowski creates starts from a new idea which portrays his current interests and influences. He indulges in exhaustive research and thrives for perfection, while he concentrates on strong forms, acute attention to detail, and traditional crafting methods.

Ternowski grew up in Germany and has been involved in the world of art since his early childhood. At age 21, he moved to Los Angeles and earned his certificate of performance at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood in 1995. He worked as a self-employed web designer during the late nineties, until, quite literally, he decided to take artwork into his own hands and started to pursue a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

Ternowski is currently focusing on enameling techniques for jewelery work as well as glazing technology for hand-made mosaics, with an emphasis on the colors of the oceanic wilderness.

Artist Statement

Beauty comes from Nature, first.

Most of my inspiration comes from nature itself. Whenever I travel, I observe the forms found in nature: the shapes of plants, the play of water and rocks, the wind blowing through the trees. I believe that most people today are somewhat disconnected from nature, and I intend to make artwork that brings the beauty of nature back into our lives.

The Arts and Crafts movement has always been a great influence to me. I like to incorporate elements of this era into my artwork, and I also believe in the importance of traditional craftsmanship.

Whether I work with wood, metal, clay or stone, I feel that it is my obligation to first understand the material I work with completely. Once I understand the material, I can experiment with it—bend, shape or cut it, drill through it or heat it and cool it. This experimentation allows me to exploit the possibilities as well as the limitations of the material.

But whatever it is I have created and will create in the future, most important to me is that I don't hide the origin of the material I have used. If my piece is made out of wood, it should look like wood, and if it is made from metal, it should look like metal. These natural materials have a beauty of their own, and my artwork is only an extension to it.