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John Winer, an artist blacksmith, has a solid background in technical drawing and has studied at the John C. Campbell Folk
School. After one semester at the University of South Carolina School of Fine Arts, he left to explore the country, seeking
an understanding of himself and his art beyond what he felt he could gain in a traditional setting.
Within three months, he was supporting himself by playing the banjo in a bar in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He traveled
for the next five years, performing on the banjo, guitar, bass, and drums in New Orleans, New York, and Montana. He played
on the street, in clubs, at festivals, and even in a few prisons. Settling on the banjo, John committed himself to making
music, insisting on playing above all else. What little money he made covered food and shared lodgings most of the time.
His travels took him to York, Pennsylvania, where in 1987, with a pregnant wife and a landlord who was fast losing patience
with tenants ever in arrears, John was introduced to a blacksmith in Friendship, Indiana, who taught him how to make a knife
out of a file. The seed was sown.
John has since worked his way through an array of trades from carpenter to millwright. In paper mills, sawmills, pulp mills,
and aluminum plants across Appalachia and the Southeast, he picked the brains of engineers, machinists, tool and die makers,
and old blacksmiths and farriers. Bringing this rich, practical understanding of materials and techniques to his own artistry,
John soon began working in steel. He founded Laughing Crow Forge in 1997 and has produced hand tools, door hardware, cutlery,
and dies and swedges along with tables, candelabras, and ornamental gates and railings. The steady beat of the hammer and
anvil that rings out from the Forge echoes both the joy and determination that have always characterized John's approach to
his art.
In his own words:
"A joy to construct, every item should be a joy to use. As a blacksmith in rural Johnson County, Tennessee, I am fortunate
to know many good people who have given me the pleasure of making tools and furnishings for their farms, their gardens, and
their homes. I see who I am by fulfilling their iron-working needs, and I thank them for the chance they've given me to serve
them."
John now lives with his wife and daughter on their small farm outside Mountain City, Tennessee. He is grateful for the
opportunity to work at home at the craft he loves. He tries to incorporate all he has learned into his products. John often
does demonstrations at craft fairs throughout the Southern Highlands or at home at the forge. He is a member of the Artist
Blacksmith Association of North America.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
As an artist blacksmith, I maintain my connection with God through the interactive process of creating. The artist sees
an endless amount of possibilities with few limitations even within the stubborn realm of iron.
It is the job of the craftsman in me to manifest that which the artist designs, often a tough and frustrating task, yet
always rewarding.
This is why I run Laughing Crow Forge with an aggressive and disciplined shop foreman's approach, to ensure that each item
will be completed with a grace and soul all its own. The role of the craftsman is to serve the artist; the role of the artist,
to link the needs of the customer with the unique qualities of his or her own individual taste.
I do individual forgings for individual people. Every piece is different. Time honored principles of joinery and good craftsmanship
blend with clever designed to become the backbone of my work. Each piece is a canvas of iron combining function and form.
Each represents a process or creation meant to nourish the soul.
I employ playful design techniques in all my commissioned work, always with the clients' tastes in mind. Traditional shapes
and tools are used in a delightful and meaningful way. Great thought and care are put into the development and construction
of each piece, employing sound design principles in order to give each client a unique and functional piece of artwork.
Design concepts range from Gothic to Victorian, Southwestern to Appalachian, Colonial to Scandinavian. My inspiration has
come greatly from the late Francis Whitaker and Samuel Yellin. Fritz Kuhn also continues to inspire me, as well as the master
knifesmith William Scagle.
Whether it is a knife or a candlestick, a hook or architectural ironwork, each item should be well made, perform well,
and look fantastic.
"I'd like to say thank you to all my clients for giving me the opportunity to create something for you" - John. |
