Joshua Wendler was born in Houston Texas in 1986. Son of an American father, and a Panamanian Mother, he grew up with a natural understanding of switching between two modes of thinking. Each cultural influence was very stark in contrast, yet seemed normal until he was of age to realize most kids his age did not have "a white grandma, and a brown grandma." Since childhood, he has taken to making art as a natural expression of his world.
His art is centered around the ideas of identity and transformation. As a metalsmith and jewelry maker, he is fascinated by the connection between body ornament and environment. In this way, there is a dialog that jewelry has between wearer and viewer, a way to distinguish oneself among others with remarkable material.
This ancient practice of status demarcation can be a very performance oriented ritual. Jewelry as body ornament takes on a life of its own. By focusing on form, Wendler strives to create iconic imagery with the illusion of a living entity- as if the forms may breathe with life. When wearing this jewelry, one may have the appearance of a bird, animal, or swooping form emerging from their body. He strives to give these forms a chance to inhabit the living through careful attention to dimensionality and material choice. Strongly influenced by cultural anthropology; Mesoamerican mythology; shamanism; and metamorphic phenomena; his work is a deeply personal journey into reigniting the primal connection between the sacred and the mundane.
Josh lives and works in Paonia, CO.
