What is Wassonartistry?
Wassonartistry is an LLC formed around the work of Artist; Jeff Wasson.
Who is Jeff Wasson?
Jeff Wasson is an artist who specializes in making historical reproductions of medieval armor. He is also a teacher and educator who brings his love of history and craft into his presentations. Jeff has done prop work for film and television and is also a freelance artist and illustrator.
As a child, Jeff Wasson was always making things. His grandfather was a professional artist, and his parents encouraged his artistic and creative talents. While growing up he built forts, tree houses, boats, armor, and various other things. He attended college in New York City at the School of Visual Arts. There, he studied drawing, painting, and sculpture. In college he became active in medieval societies that practiced combat in full armor. This led him down the road of making armor for himself and others.
After graduating college, he toured Europe by bicycle keeping detailed sketchbooks of his various adventures. Upon returning to New York, he found employment at the Pratt Institute industrial design department, and continued making things for people through freelance work. As his armoring skills grew, he spent time in a partnership with other craftsmen who supplied equipment for medieval re-enactors. Striking out on his own, Jeff developed a reputation for historical accuracy and attention to fine detail. His work began to appeal to other groups of armor enthusiasts, including jousters, collectors, and museums.
After Pratt, he worked at the SVA sculpture center for many years as a technical consultant, helping students make sculpture. Jeff gained teaching experience as an instructor in SVA's Continuing Education program, teaching metal and woodworking for many years. At present, Jeff is a full time armorer who also teaches undergraduate classes in metalworking for the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City.
Jeff formed WassonArtistry LLC in 2007 as a business to promote his many artistic endeavors. He has worked on various projects for Movies and television, but his main focus is making medieval armor, specializing in 14th, 15th and 16th c. European plate armor. Utilizing 1050 spring steel the work is heat treated and hardening for dent resistance and lighter weight. Having fought and jousted in the armor he makes, Jeffrey feels he has a unique perspective on it's functionality. Also, being trained as an artist and sculptor he is adept at capturing the proper shapes that make authentic armor, an art form.
Check out the Nova documentary "Secrets of the Shining Knight" featuring Jeff building a greenwich breastplate. See it on Netflix!
WassonArtistry Provides:
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Reproductions of medieval armor for re-enactors, collectors, HEMA, ACL, SCA.
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Art and sculpture based on the techniques of smithing and armor making.
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Illustration
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Teaching, lecturing and demonstrations on the methods of armor making, knights, armor, jousting etc.
Teaching and Educational Ventures:
Demonstrations on Armoring, armor, and Metalworking
Jeff is available to teach groups or privately. He can teach Armoring, and how it applies to sculpture and metalworking. He can talk about Armor and various aspects of the medieval knight, contact him for details on availability
Left image; At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lecture "Dressing in Steel" with Dirk Breiding. You can watch it here if you're interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgzQiO9liNw
Dalton School Demonstrations
For many years Jeff has brought his forge and furnace to the Dalton school in Manhattan for annual demonstrations of blacksmithing and bronze casting. Each year students become active participants in the program, as Jeff relates how these technologies fit into the history that the students are studying.
Metalworking at SVA
Jeff Teaches undergraduate metalworking at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Students learn how to cut weld and finish metal to make steel sculpture.
