Van der Ven Studios

Clay

Maine Highlands

Professional Membership

My undergraduate degree is in printmaking with a minor in sculpture. I worked as a goldsmith and carpenter/builder before becoming an award winning high school art teacher. Seventeen years in the classroom were interrupted only by a year-long sabbatical in the south of France, where I worked in Atelier Buffile and studied painting and critical theory at the Marchutz School. Later, while still teaching, I earned an MFA with a concentration in ceramics and drawing.
I’ve taught as an adjunct professor at University of Maine Augusta, U-Rock, and Unity College and have facilitated numerous workshops. I’ve been a resident artist at Anderson Ranch, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
My work has won awards in several national juried competitions. It is held in both private and public collections including the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, the Canton Museum of Fine Arts, and Harrisburg Community College.
I live and work in Lincolnville Center, Maine with my wife Kate Braestrup. We share loving six grown children and seven grandchildren.