John Medwedeff's Personal Page

John Medwedeff has been an independent studio artist since 1988. His sculpture, architectural metalwork, and design are represented in numerous private, corporate, and public collections throughout the United States.

Artist Statement
My work, whether shaped exclusively with a hammer or the cutting and forming of plates, is informed by the traditions and visual language of blacksmithing.

The process of heating metal until it is malleable enough to be reshaped by the smith goes back more than a thousand years. However, my designs are not restrained by adhesion to specific historical references and I frequently employ modern technologies and forms. I am inspired by the waterways, plant life and weather of my familiar landscapes.

Through years of working on both sculpture and decorative architectural work, I have developed my artistic vocabulary. The large scale sculptures, while not necessarily forged, are an extrapolation of this vocabulary driven by my blacksmith’s desire to reshape the metal and make the surfaces my own. The decorative arts pieces blend my creative vision with utilitarian purpose, and to that end I find a beautiful symmetry between form and function.

I make no distinctions between what is thought to be functional and sculptural objects, but rather concentrate on designing pieces that fulfill my intention for the object within the framework of my aesthetic choices.