In 2006, Quentin Stoltzfus was forced to retire Mazarin, the dreamy, strummy Philadelphia-based project he debuted in 1999, due to threats from a litigious Long Island classic-rock band of the same name. If not for that, the new Light Heat album would be a Mazarin album, and could have come out years ago. The catalyst for Light Heat’s debut came from Stoltzfus’ friends and former tourmates the Walkmen. That band, minus singer Hamilton Leithauser, backs Stoltzfus on the LP, although Light Heat itself, like Mazarin, is essentially Stoltzfus and whomever he plays with. Stoltzfus will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on Light Heat.
Stoltzfus: Wharton Esherick, while respected and well-known during his lifetime, is a fairly obscure man. I knew little of him before venturing just outside of Philadelphia a few years ago to visit what was his home and studio in Valley Forge. It is a dreamland, laboriously pieced together throughout his lifetime. Straight edges and adornment are rare. Utility and elegantly designed monolithic sculptural beauty is his modis operandi. He managed to meld together German expressionism with the American craftsman movement with the stark beauty found in Shaker design. While incredibly prolific, most of his work resides in private collections, namely pieces he created for client’s homes. His tiny house/studio is the place to see his work. In my mind it is his defining legacy. It is as much three-dimensional sculptural collage as it is architecture and his deftly clever ideas and dedication to his craft are indelibly inspirational.
Video after the jump.
