Jacob Maendel does not fit neatly into any particular art movement. He is an abstractionist, forming his own vocabulary through observation and creation. His work is rooted in ancient philosophy, mythology, and internal martial arts, but the physical world is just as much a source of inspiration—a flower, a branch, the wings of a massive bird. Nature informs his approach, guiding the process rather than dictating the outcome.
At the heart of Maendel’s work is drawing. He values its immediacy, its ability to capture thought and motion in a raw, unfiltered way. Drawing is exploration, a space where clarity and uncertainty exist together. The hand moves, the mark is made, and the process continues—each stroke a record of curiosity.
But Maendel is not limited to the page. He moves into three dimensions, creating sculptures that act as theaters for light and shadow. Material is central to his practice. Steel, in particular, offers a grounding force. Its dull, non-reflective surface allows form to be seen without distraction. He considers the way material interacts with space, how it defines or obscures boundaries, how it holds presence.
His 2021 work, INTERCEPTOR, exemplifies this approach. Made from hot rolled steel and gun blue, it measures 50 x 38 x 6 inches. The piece hovers between interior and exterior space, refusing to settle in either. It retains traces of its original orthographic drawing, carrying its own history in its surface. There is an honesty in the material—nothing is hidden, nothing is disguised.
Sculpture, for Maendel, is a way of feeling space. It is not simply about mass and weight but about the relationship between object and environment. A sculpture does not exist in isolation; it converses with light, with air, with the movement of the viewer. Shadows shift, edges blur, and the piece changes depending on where one stands. This is where his work becomes more than an object—it becomes an experience.
He speaks of remembered psychedelic encounters, moments that alter perception and dissolve the rigid structures of thought. This influence is present in the way his sculptures resist fixed interpretation. They do not demand understanding but instead invite contemplation. What they are depends on how they are seen, how they are experienced in a given moment.
Maendel’s art is not about imposing meaning. It is about presence, about the act of making, about engaging with material in a way that is both intuitive and intentional. His process is an ongoing dialogue between idea and execution, between form and space. There is no final answer, no definitive statement—just exploration, movement, and the quiet tension of creation.
