MATTHEW NAFTZGER
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bio
Born in 1972 in Lima, Ohio, Matthew grew up primarily in the plains of Colorado. After serving in the Marines, he studied engineering and fine art at Colorado State University. He left early to fully pursue art and fine craft, becoming primarily self-taught. In 2001, creation of the work became full time, showing metalwork at high end arts/crafts festivals and galleries around the country.
His work has evolved away from traditional materials and aesthetics, becoming both more industrial and aged. Titanium is the predominant material, involving machining and TIG welding alongside traditional metalsmithing methods. Precious metals and stones, vitreous enamels, and other alternate materials complete the work. Primitive mechanics and a sense of lost history drive the functionality and aesthetics. Matthew relocated to the Harambee neighborhood of Milwaukee in 2020.
Contact
Artist Statement
I create artifacts.
These are the objects that will be the strange, unexplained relics found
in our future.
The work plays within and across boundaries of dreamscapes, memories, future questions and the uncanny valley of things that are almost, but not quite, familiar. There is a feel of repurposed objects, while each piece is actually built from scratch.
The imagery of The Protection Sphere series is literally from my childhood. In times of distress, I would imagine these works in my mind, spinning. Devices/structures holding a precious, protected inner space, with a defensive outer exterior, existing to keep me safe. Decades later, I built the first piece without remembering where it came from. As more time has progressed, I feel we all need that protection.
The Salt series plays off a love of seemingly functional artifacts. Primitive objects are found, their uses guessed at, with all of the finder’s filters and ideas. For me it only adds to the fun that these could truly be functional.
Salt Three: Ted, 2020, Titanium, sterling silver, and copper, 3x3.25x2.75 in., Courtesy of the artist
