In 2012, Matt Wedel moved with his family to Albany, Ohio, where he built his own studio and oversized kiln. Living and working in southeastern Ohio has provided the artist with the flexibility to created without restriction – often working in proportions that dwarf his lean frame. Enveloped by natural surrounding, Wedel’s home and his studio (the yellow structure pictured above) are nestled amongst sprawling acres of unspoiled territory. Over the past five years, the remoteness has brought Wedel’s studio practice into greater focus, with the Midwestern landscape playing an essential role in the evolution of his works.

Wedel, along with his wife and two small children, subsist on the bounty of fruits and vegetables harvested from the property. Along with the fruit trees on their land, Wedel constructed raised beds and large ceramic pots for growing vegetation. A large water basin (which he made from clay) captures rain water and sustains their water supply, while solar panels provide the necessary energy to operate.

In living so intimately with the terrain, for the artist, working in the landscape and depicting the landscape in his sculptures has become one and the same. Like tending plants in the earth, Wedel is cultivating his own forms, rooted in his imagination and brought to life from clay.

See his latest body of work in his upcoming exhibition at L.A. Louver, opening on April 26th. With an emphasis on smaller-scaled works, the exhibition brings an intimate focus to Wedel’s command of form and color.

Click here to view a short film of Wedel in his studio, produced in 2013. 

IMAGE: Courtesy of Matt Wedel