Artist

Harrison McIntosh

born Vallejo, CA 1914-died Claremont, CA 2016
Also known as
  • Harrison Edward McIntosh
Born
Vallejo, California, United States
Died
Claremont, California, United States
Biography

Harrison McIntosh attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles in 1938 and studied with ceramist Glen Lukens at the University of Southern California in 1940, Albert King in Los Angels in 1947, Richard Petterson at the Claremont Graduate School in California from 1948 to 1952, Bernard Leach at a Mills College seminar in 1950, and Marguerite Wildenhain at Pond Farm in Guerneville, California, during the summer of 1953. McIntosh taught at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles with Peter Voulkos during the summer of 1959. Strong early influences on McIntosh's work were Bauhaus design, Swedish ceramics of the 1950s, and nature.

One of the most respected functional potters working in the United States today, McIntosh is recognized for his simple classical thrown forms in stoneware. He embellishes his pieces with geometric designs painted in bold or muted colors. Understated glazes reinforce the timeless substance of his art.

Kenneth R. Trapp and Howard Risatti Skilled Work: American Craft in the Renwick Gallery (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art with the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998)