Wynn Medinger[portfolio_slideshow id=8775]
Sculptor gives new life to old farm equipmentJohn was born and raised near the Grand River in northwestern South Dakota, where his people’s ranches are scattered along the Grand River —not far from where Sitting Bull was born and died on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
The ranching way of life—where times seems to have stood still—has seen the transition from horsepower to vehicles. The rusted carcasses of discarded equipment stand testament to generations of labor. Lopez has picked through them, choosing the elements of the past—the actual implements that plowed the soil or cut the grain to create these exciting and unique works.
He can be found in his own sculpture studio, his relatives’ barnyards—rooting through their scrap piles—or cleaning stalls. His bronze fine art and hybrid-metal art sculptures are sought after by a cross-section of collectors—from private individuals to professional horse-breeding farms to Hermes in Paris, France.
For wonderful descriptions about the how and why of each piece, visit Lopez’s website: johnlopezstudio.com
A coffee-table book of his work is available here.