Artist: Steve Joslyn
I have a BFA in metalworking and graphic design from the University of Wisconsin. I planned on become a jeweler. I remember my first metalworking class in 1977. The class was 3 hour long, We got started and the first time I looked at the clock the class was over. I knew at that moment I had found my passion, I had neverexperience total consentration and focus where time vanished.
With a semester left before my graduation I took an independent study class with a graduate student working toward his masters in metalworking. His focus was forging iron. Forging iron changed everything and I never looked back. I began working with wrought iron in 1982, reading and researching the history of blacksmithing and its various applications. Tool Making, Knife Making, and Ornamental lronwork, all created by forging hot metal,
For 3B years I have been forging steel. With intense heat the material softens and can be formed. Both brute force and finesse are equally important. lthink of my work as an exercise in controlled spontaneity. This process of working is called "wei wu wei" ( pronounced way woo way ) defined in the DaoTa Ching as "Doing not Doing" Becoming completely absorbed in the action without thinking about the action. This allows the gates of imagination to fly open and to follow it where ever it goes.
lpractice traditional design principals in composing my work including balance, shape, and form, Each pieces is developed through a series of quick thumbnails sketches, Working in short intervals ( about one to two minutes ) results in the drawings remaining fresh and spontaneous. Often a thumbnail sketch will be refined into a finished drawing taking several hours and used for presentation to a client.
The underlying theme of the work is "Reverance for Nature" I observe in nature complex structures of incredible strength and beauty. ldescribe my work as "elegant", simple and delicate in design, with a touch of whimsy. Attention to detail and elegant design are my signatures, I observe nature in the finest detail. Observing these details humbles me as an artist. I am overwhelmed by the immense beauty surrounding us. The goal is not to copy nature outright but to capture its essence and connect with the inward significant.
Steve Joslyn
