Ernest Forward makes pots that are abstract representational portraits.
The 25-year-old from Eagle River draws inspiration from the people around him, his family and friends or random acquaintances encountered in bars.
The requisite tools he needs to create his portraits are his crafty hands and a significant amount of clay, but he starts with a story, a person, a life.
He calls his portrait collection, six pots so far, his "Birthing Series."
Teresa Shannon, an adjunct ceramics instructor, admired Forward's work as well as the time and effort he puts into his pieces
"The way he plays with it," Shannon said, "makes it more interesting and fun."
Forward examines his "model" and finds the most interesting or engaging element of the person. This pot is a perfect example. He had recently spent time with his brother Paul.
Forward admires his brother's boundless love for the outdoors, specifically kayaking, and feels Paul's spirit is best embodied by the wilds of Alaska.
The mountains and rivers that adorn the clay, as well as the size of this particular pot, fuel the idea of Alaska and the open wilderness with the high mountains and rapids his brother loves.
The wood fire is a significant step in the process. He "nurtures" his pots and "raises them from start to finish," he said.
When they're glazed and fired, Forward feels that they become like human beings.
They do share some traits with mankind. Like man, they exist to share their stories with others, to encourage, or enlighten, or just to entertain.
An anthropologist will tell you the oldest artifacts of early man are pieces of pottery. Perhaps what Forward is "giving birth" to is a legacy.
