By Jonathan Burger, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, Inc.
Where are you from and how did you end up in eastern North Carolina?
As the son of a WW2 Marine… I was born in Jacksonville. Lived in Hawaii, California, and several parts of NC. I have lived here for almost all my life and am glad to call it home.
Do you have any formal arts training or are you self-taught, or a combination of the two?
It is a combination of the two. I have been to several training programs and attended Penland Craft School where I worked in the Iron shop. I have always been a “Maker” and artwork has just been an extension of that love.
Is there a central theme to your work, or several themes?
My direction seems to go in the direction of nature and the creations we see all around us every day. It might be because there are no straight lines in nature… so there is a lot of forgiveness in the designs and structures. It just makes for a more interesting work.
You work in steel and metal, what about this medium appeals to you?
I love the solid feel of the material and the way is malleable when heated. Creating something delicate and intricate from such a material is just amazing to me and the viewer. The structure that results can be colored, textured, chemically changed, and sealed to make something unknown at the start of the process. Plus, I get to make the gadgets and tools which I use in those creations.
You make both conceptual gallery works and functional furniture pieces. Do you see a relationship between these types of works, or are they the same in your mind?
I love to create pieces having a dual purpose. If you surround yourself with beautiful things… that also happen to have a utilitarian purpose.. then you have a winner on two levels. But at times some ideas are just beautiful in their own way and need to be celebrated just as a piece of art.
Is there an artist in your field, or any other, whose work you admire or inspires you?
The artist I respect the most are the ones who started this field of blacksmithing. When you look at the ironwork of old European castles or cathedrals and think about how the work was done by men using hand tools, basic raw coal fires, hammers and punches designed and build by their fathers and grandfathers. These are the same techniques we use today. Those pieces of functional art are still in use today. Not much of what we create today will stand that of test of time. So I celebrate the middle age blacksmith and their artwork.
What specific award, piece, or exhibition are you particularly proud of any why?
I am excited every time I am juried into a show. Being selected for a segment of Our State North Carolina was a fascinating and exciting process, and the TV credit was a real lift. But the best feeling I receive is when I first show a piece to a client and see the reaction of excitement and appreciation. That makes all the hard work worthwhile.
In one sentence what is art to you?
The outward expression of an inner idea, that must be released.
Do you have any advice for artists starting out or people wanting to get into art?
The difference between an artist and a non-artist, is that artist are doing it! We have all seen something in a gallery and said, “I could do that”, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. If you have a drive to create… than do it and you will be added to the list of artist. Keep creating your art, and every day you will improve.
I know you’re in the Critters exhibition at Bank of the Arts and will be the speaker for Little Talks, but where else can people fin you work?
My work can be found on the internet at Stephenzmetaldesigns.com, an Etsy site with the same name, the Uncommongoods catalogue, several North Carolina galleries, numerous outdoor settings in the area, and on rotating sculptural installations in several cities in North and South Carolina. And I have a mobile in the waiting room in your Carolina East hospital. You can contact me a steve@stephenzmetaldesigns.com.
317 Middle Street | New Bern, NC | www.cravenarts.org | 252.638.2577