This 4 x 4 foot wood-framed metal work is custom designed and handcrafted by James Gonzalez of Farmhouse Forge in Potsdam, NY. It was acquired in 2021 and added to our permanent Folk Art Collection in the Folklife Center.
James Gonzalez was one of 8 artists who produced a 4 x 4 foot barn-quilt-inspired new work for the 2020 exhibition, St Lawrence County Barn Quilts, curated by TAUNY (Traditional Arts in upstate New York), Canton, NY, February to October 2020.
James is a blacksmith with over 15 years experience, producing ironwork at his workshop in Potsdam, who also uses salvaged materials to create imaginative wall art.
This unique piece, on display in the Folklife Center's research room, was made from recycled sheet metal barn roofing, using a plasma cutter and hand chisteling. James left the work in its aged, natural state, and framed the piece without backing so that the light can move through, and shadows become part of the work.
Learn more about artist/blacksmith James Gonzalez at his website https://farmhouseforge.wixsite.com/farmhouseforge
Be sure to watch for more posts about our Folk Art Collection, and for our new project, Folk Arts All Around Us, an evolving exhibition found throughout Crandall Public Library.
Todd DeGarmo is the founding director of The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, NY, and can be reached at tdegarmo@sals.edu. He's worked as a public sector folklorist and educator in various venues for over 40 years, and is editor of Voices: Journal of New York Folklore. He lives in the upper Hudson Valley of upstate New York, a stone's throw from the Battenkill near the Vermont border.