Simon van der Ven
Making objects for warmth, light, and nourishment
As an artist, I work with what is and what can be. I join a continuum of artists and craftspeople in this struggle. Most often, I think of my work in simple and direct terms. How does it feel? How does it work? But if I reach for the impossible (as I believe all artists must) it is to reach toward making something that has always been.”
After earning an undergraduate degree in printmaking at SUNY Potsdam and teacher certification from St. Lawrence University, Simon moved to Maine to work on boats. He was lured ashore as an apprentice to designer/gallery owner Tom O’Donovan of Harbor Square Gallery, then turned to house
construction and renovation. From 1990 to 2007, Simon taught art at Camden Hills Regional High School. During a 1995 sabbatical in Aix-en-Provence,
Simon studied painting and criticism at the Marchutz School and worked at Atelier Buffile. In 1997, he received the prestigious Maine College of
Art Award for Leadership in Art Education. He subsequently enrolled at MECA and received an MFA in 2001. Simon lives and works in Lincolnville, Maine with his wife, Kate Braestrup, and several of their brood.
With his hands, mind, and heart Simon works full time in his studio to
make objects for warmth, light, and nourishment out of porcelain, stoneware and other materials.
Some links of interest:
Harbor Square Gallery
Marchutz School
Atelier Bufille
The studio:
Member of:
