Bursting Forth My word, the winter was long and dark, but the peepers have finally begun peeping. The very earth is rumbling with promise, and I can’t recall ever before feeling more in sync with the changing season. The studio is buzzing with energy. No day is long enough. I can’t wait for you to see and hold in your […]
Influence pushes. Inspiration pulls My high school photography teacher was a guy named Mr. Parker. He taught through precise demonstration. We could ask questions, but mostly we stood silently, watching him work, and then were let go to try it ourselves. Back then, we were working with manual cameras, black and white film, and chemicals. […]
Announcing a very special OPEN STUDIO July 8 and 9 10 am to 4 pm each day 10% of weekend profits will go to the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts building fund In conjunction with Watershed’s Salad Days event, the New England Craft Tour, and my continued campaign to keep things fresh and lively, I’ll be hosting three marvelous guest artists […]
As spring follows winter… During the cold and quiet of winter, I moved steadily through projects, making molds, testing new glazes, refining utilitarian forms, improving press-molding techniques, casting wax and then bronze, carving wood, and combining materials to finish several new sculptures. The gallery is full. I also reflected on my teaching career. I loved teaching. Two things […]
http://vandervenstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DeKooning-Slag.jpg409800vdvhttp://vandervenstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/VDV-logo-final1.pngvdv2017-06-10 19:17:222017-06-10 19:17:22Spring Studio News
A couple years ago, I pulled my work out of galleries and pretty much stopped accepting invitations to show. I wanted to bring as much focus back into the studio as I could. I wanted to bring some percolating themes to a full boil, work with more challenging scale, and a broader array of materials — […]
http://vandervenstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Nest-V.jpg533800vdvhttp://vandervenstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/VDV-logo-final1.pngvdv2016-08-12 15:46:062016-08-12 17:07:40It's Working Out
I started this piece over three years ago. I’ve done others like it, but not to this level of detail. Initially, I threw a number of vases in this form, but chose this one to carve. It took days and days to draw the pattern. When I finally started carving, it took about three days to rough […]
http://vandervenstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Shoji-Pattern-Vase-1.jpg800533vdvhttp://vandervenstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/VDV-logo-final1.pngvdv2016-08-12 15:05:522016-08-31 20:47:18Just Three Years
Name: Jessica Ives Year of HS graduation: 1999, when my last name was Stammen Current Location: Damariscotta, Maine Links: www.jessicaleeives.com What fills your days? Learning. Whether I’m painting, swimming, stretching, reading, dancing, cutting a carrot, or driving in the car with my husband, I think it’s good to remember that it’s all learning, that I’m learning […]
Expanding Focus I’ve been sticking pretty close to home, concentrating my energy, allowing myself to wander in the studio. Things are opening up. My friend, Garrett, once told me, “The only real power we have is where we place our focus.” I’m looking more carefully at the sculptural aspects of my work, mixing materials and ideas that have long held […]
Name: Jesse Gillespie Year of HS graduation: 1999 Current location: Rockland, Maine Links: http://www.jessegillespieart.com, www.dowlingwalsh.com What fills your days? My wife and I recently returned to Maine from D.C., where we lived for three years. We’ve been settling in to our new home in Rockland, swimming and checking with friends. A good deal of time has […]
My Plan for 2015 (besides shoveling snow) First name, last name, I don’t remember: his students just called him “Gunner,” and he was one of my favorite education professors at Saint Lawrence. He had all sorts of good things to say, but thirty-three years later what I remember is, “If you’re not on the edge, you’re taking […]
Spring 2018 Studio Newsletter
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvBursting Forth My word, the winter was long and dark, but the peepers have finally begun peeping. The very earth is rumbling with promise, and I can’t recall ever before feeling more in sync with the changing season. The studio is buzzing with energy. No day is long enough. I can’t wait for you to see and hold in your […]
November Pecha Kucha Presentation Text
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvInfluence pushes. Inspiration pulls My high school photography teacher was a guy named Mr. Parker. He taught through precise demonstration. We could ask questions, but mostly we stood silently, watching him work, and then were let go to try it ourselves. Back then, we were working with manual cameras, black and white film, and chemicals. […]
Summer Newsletter
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvAnnouncing a very special OPEN STUDIO July 8 and 9 10 am to 4 pm each day 10% of weekend profits will go to the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts building fund In conjunction with Watershed’s Salad Days event, the New England Craft Tour, and my continued campaign to keep things fresh and lively, I’ll be hosting three marvelous guest artists […]
Spring Studio News
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvAs spring follows winter… During the cold and quiet of winter, I moved steadily through projects, making molds, testing new glazes, refining utilitarian forms, improving press-molding techniques, casting wax and then bronze, carving wood, and combining materials to finish several new sculptures. The gallery is full. I also reflected on my teaching career. I loved teaching. Two things […]
It’s Working Out
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvA couple years ago, I pulled my work out of galleries and pretty much stopped accepting invitations to show. I wanted to bring as much focus back into the studio as I could. I wanted to bring some percolating themes to a full boil, work with more challenging scale, and a broader array of materials — […]
Just Three Years
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvI started this piece over three years ago. I’ve done others like it, but not to this level of detail. Initially, I threw a number of vases in this form, but chose this one to carve. It took days and days to draw the pattern. When I finally started carving, it took about three days to rough […]
Featured Artist: Jessica Ives
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvName: Jessica Ives Year of HS graduation: 1999, when my last name was Stammen Current Location: Damariscotta, Maine Links: www.jessicaleeives.com What fills your days? Learning. Whether I’m painting, swimming, stretching, reading, dancing, cutting a carrot, or driving in the car with my husband, I think it’s good to remember that it’s all learning, that I’m learning […]
Summer Newsletter (late posting)
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvExpanding Focus I’ve been sticking pretty close to home, concentrating my energy, allowing myself to wander in the studio. Things are opening up. My friend, Garrett, once told me, “The only real power we have is where we place our focus.” I’m looking more carefully at the sculptural aspects of my work, mixing materials and ideas that have long held […]
Featured Artist: Jesse Gillespie
/in Frontpage Article, News /by vdvName: Jesse Gillespie Year of HS graduation: 1999 Current location: Rockland, Maine Links: http://www.jessegillespieart.com, www.dowlingwalsh.com What fills your days? My wife and I recently returned to Maine from D.C., where we lived for three years. We’ve been settling in to our new home in Rockland, swimming and checking with friends. A good deal of time has […]
2015 Winter Newsletter
/in News /by vdvMy Plan for 2015 (besides shoveling snow) First name, last name, I don’t remember: his students just called him “Gunner,” and he was one of my favorite education professors at Saint Lawrence. He had all sorts of good things to say, but thirty-three years later what I remember is, “If you’re not on the edge, you’re taking […]