Jonathan Shlafer

ARTIST / SCULPTOR

“There’s no color in my work,” says Shlafer, “I either burn it, bleach it, or leave it alone.” Shlafer’s sculptures are designed with rudimentary material such as pine, oak, and spruce salvaged as driftwood on the Eastern end of Long Island. The artist started this body of work during the pandemic after he stumbled upon the charming discoveries while traveling on foot by the coastline. Always a wayfarer at heart, he drew inspiration from his youth of traveling on a motorcycle through Southern Africa and seeing indigenous art made from ordinary earth objects within local villages. 

“Wishbone 1” a 5 Foot sculpture, charred white oak with a tinted aqua resin base that reflects an omen of resilience and hardiness in light of the hardships of the past pandemic year, In another “Tune” a bleached spruce fence post narrowed into a tuning fork shape with a slate base. It welcomes a ceremonial vibe. “At the end of the day, that’s the energy we all crave,” says Shlafer, “who doesn’t respond to that?”

 “Mushroom #3” a charred white oak sculpture that is versatile in design so it can act as an end table or a stool. It is masterfully crafted and brings to mind the redwood stools of JB Blunk, one of his influences. The artist explains, “Mycelium is the supernatural energy that allows all of nature's energy to intertwine and expand giving us life, growth, and opening doors to untapped consciousness.” The sculpture is a symbol of longevity, rebirth, and good luck.

He credits his influences on this new series to Max Ernst’s totem sculptures, Ursula von Rydingsvard’s cedar work, and Barbara Hepworth’s Nanjizal figures.

Jonathan was born in New Jersey in 1967. He studied at the School of Visual Arts in the 1980s when the NYC graffiti art movement was in full swing. He later went on to work in advertising. Before his recent turn to sculpture, Shlafer explored new approaches to form and made abstract illustrations using everyday objects such as bic ballpoint pens. Shlafer lives on the East End of Amagansett, NY with his family.