Jeffrey van Dyke (Kunst)

*****
Born in Shasta County, California in 1959, Van Dyke began his sculpting in his twenties, while completing graduate studies in structural engineering. Self-taught, his work quietly celebrates the subject of his greatest interest, the individual soul. Van Dyke’s greatest influences include nineteenth century French sculptors Aristide Maillol, Charles Despiau, and Edgar Degas, and contemporary Mexican artist Armando Amaya, Francisco Zuniga and Felipe Castaneda.

“The goal of my current work is to evoke recognition of a state of tranquility marked by resolve and self-possession. By modeling the undraped figure free of props or decoration, I wish to create temporal and cultural ambiguity and to comment on that which is universally human. Recognizing the beauty of uncertainty, I avoid a colorful or highly detailed finish and attempt to draw the viewer into the subject. It is there that the work might act as a vehicle for the viewer to continue with their own interpretations, their own personal vision.”

“My current work is drawn directly from a vivid dream in which several women were engaged in moving about a deserted, arid environment, apparently either seeking or following something. No words were spoken, and no props or clothing were present to provide temporal or cultural context. Their grace while moving and poise when at rest, were stunning. Even so, all focus, including my own, was upon their mission, their goal…I awoke with a strong feeling of wonder and quiet respect.”

Selected awards:

•Kerry MacAleer-Keeler, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Third Place, The World in Black and White, 2002
•Clayton Bailey, Prof. Emeritus, California State University, Hayward, Merit Award, Couples, 2002
•AAPL Board of Directors, Frank C. Wright Memorial Award, 73rd Grand National Exhibition, 2001
•Susan Masouka, Director Aidekman Gallery, Tufts University, Merit Award, Figurative Works, 2001
Selected collections:

•Pasquale Iannetti, Berkeley, CA
•Manuel Neri, Benicia, CA
http://galeriemichael.com/artists/van-dyke-jeffrey/