BELLINGHAM, WA.- Faith in a Seed: Philip McCracken’s Sculpture and Mixed-Media Painting surveys nature’s inspiration on one of the Pacific Northwest’s most distinguished artists. It is on view at the Whatcom Museum's Lightcatcher building from February 27 through June 5, 2016.

Philip McCracken, born 1928 in Bellingham, studied with British sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986) in Hertfordshire and created diverse works that embrace both realism and abstraction, time-honored materials such as wood and bronze, and newer media such as resin and epoxy. 

From animal sculptures to witty interpretations of contemporary life, McCracken has forged his own path, inspired by the writings of the nineteenth century philosopher Henry David Thoreau whose posthumous book, Faith in a Seed (1993), suggested the title for this show. Like Thoreau, McCracken celebrates the wonders of nature and captures its beauty in his work. This exhibition presents a wide spectrum of the artist’s sculpture and mixed-media painting, dating from 1952 through 2013, and underscores the duality of tradition and innovation at the heart of his career.

"If Thoreau had been an artist, his work would likely have looked much like that of Philip McCracken," writes Deloris Tarzan Ament in the book 600 Moons: Fifty Years of Philip McCracken's Art. "It celebrates the natural world—animal, vegetable, mineral, and the stuff of stars. He has put into sculpture bird song, poetry, and the motion of gasses. No theme is too daunting."

Studying in the ceramics department at the University of Washington in the early 1950s under French potter Paul Bonifas, McCracken met and was inspired by many Northwest artists such as Mark Tobey, Morris Graves and Guy Anderson. After spending a summer assisting Henry Moore in England, McCracken moved back to the Northwest and settled down with his wife Anne in Guemes Island, Washington. It was from the forms of nature and the wildlife that surrounded him that McCracken drew inspiration for his artwork in the coming decades.

McCracken explores complex subjects, such as space, geology, mechanics, and poetry, and gives them form and feeling. Throughout his career, the artist has experimented with a wide variety of materials, including wood, metal, stone, bone, owl down, plaster, and artificial amber, among others. While many of his sculptures are clearly identifiable, his abstract compositions convey metaphor and meaning.

McCracken was the first artist to receive the Washington State Governor's Award honoring an outstanding Washington State artist in 1964. He also garnered the Governor's Arts Award in 1994 and the Cornish College of the Arts presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. He has exhibited work both nationally and internationally and has created many commissioned sculptures throughout the Northwest. His bronze sculpture, Heron, is perched at the back of the Whatcom Museum's Old City Hall for all to enjoy.

Faith in a Seed: Philip McCracken’s Sculpture and Mixed-Media Painting is on exhibition in the Lightcatcher building, 250 Flora Street, February 27 - June 5, 2016.