COASTE | ARTS
included architecture, psychology, accounting and engineering. However, his emergence as an
eat and unsure where he wanted to take his life, he got gigs at a local bike shop and restaurant. When
accomplished artist was in many ways predestined — given that he’s the sonof the acclaimed German-born sculptor and university educator Karl Stirner, an internationally exhibited artist who’s been awarded special recognition in his longtime home of Easton, Pennsylvania. As a child, Jonas grew up watching his father’s artistic labors and learned the tools of craftsmanship along the way.
one of the restaurant’s clients needed new bar stools for his eatery, Stirner volunteered to help — and put his skills as a welder to work. Before long, his talents in furniture making and metal fabrication attracted other clients, and one in particular who would prove to make a profound impact on his career. That client was one of America’s most influential artists — the legendary
Fresh. Spiritual. Physical. These words aptly define Jonas Stirner’s sculptures that take discarded metals and rust-caked materials, and elevate them to works of art.
His first break came when in his 20s, he moved to Captiva (where his stepbrother lived). Needing to
Robert Rauschenberg, whose multimedia “combines” helped push the boundaries of
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