Central College welcomes the works of Greg Van Dusseldorp to the Mills Gallery in the Lubbers Center for the Visual Arts until Feb. 12. His exhibit is titled “Greg Van Dusseldorp: Recent Works.”
The exhibition of ceramic sculptures and paintings runs through Feb. 12 with an artist reception from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12.
Van Dusseldorp received his bachelor’s degree in art from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. He received his M.A. and M.F.A. in ceramics/drawing at the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History.
Van Dusseldorp is a studio artist who works in 2D and 3D formats with clay and paint being the primary materials. He takes an intuitive approach to his creative endeavors.
“My ceramic sculptures show an unrefined quality derived from a primitive instinct, freedom of the mind and my quest for provocative images. What drives me to express my unique viewpoint is stretching the materials and firing methods along with interjecting vivid colors amongst the forms. The complexity in this process adds layers of depth to the exterior of the art object,” Van Dusseldorp says.
“I am drawn to the search for color in high temperature firings in ceramics and the development of glaze movement in conjunction with the use of ancient wood firing techniques to create tension and viscosity in the surface of the clay. Then interrupting the veneer of the sculpture once again using modern glazes and firing methods to achieve a dynamic that works concurrently with the molded ceramic forms,” he adds.
Van Dusseldorp has been a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and Red Lodge Clay Center. He has taught ceramics as a visiting professor at Kent State University for Kirk Mangus and as an adjunct at the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History. He was also an assistant professor of art at Iowa Wesleyan University. Van Dusseldorp exhibits nationally and lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Mills Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission is free and open to the public.