“Dego” (Detlef Gotzens)
Born in 1952 in Cologne Germany, in 1967 Detlef started a three Year apprenticeships in the stained glass studio of Jacob Melchior graduating as a Journeyman.
Joining the famous Glass College in Rheinbach in 1975 Detlef continued his studies to do a master’s degree from the guild of Cologne and also studied glass technology and design at the same time, graduating in 1977.
Detlef also continued to paint and draw which he did since the age of 12 besides designing Art glass; he participated in various group exhibitions’ between Cologne and Duesseldorf, until1985 when he decided to immigrate to Canada.
For over 30 Years he worked in Conservation and Restoration of Historic windows and completed many high profile projects like the Memorial Chamber windows in the “Peace Tower” at the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.
Since 2008 Detlef “Dego” retired from Conservation and Restoration and became a full time Artist, creating a large body of new works, mainly Paintings and Sculptures and has also gained International recognition for his work thru participating in many competitions for example the SaatchiArt showdown, where he was a second place winner in November 2012 and the winning work is currently on display at the Saatchi Gallery in London. SaatchiArt included his work in the best of 2013 selection as well. In 2012 he Published his first Art Book titled: “Dego’s world” available from his website.
Many articles in various Papers and other publications have been written about his work over the years and continue to date.
Statement
Detlef “Dego” Gotzens
Artist Statement:
Making Art or why, is difficult to explain or talk about in my opinion, it is a drive that is not always very clear but always present, and the desire to make work is very powerful and at the same time exciting!
Since a very early age I was always drawn to Images, pictures, forms, lines and color, and instinctively felt very comfortable looking at art especially paintings with a sense of wonder and curiosity.
I’m constantly in the process to find a visual Language that seem to be always changing from one work to the next and every new work is leading me to another place, informing the next work.
I don’t like to labelled or categorized because I don’t want to fall in to the trap of comfortable program in making work, the process of Painting is what I’m interested in as well as they journey I have chosen whereby there is no destination but the journey!
I also pursue more than one direction in my Paintings because I pursue what interests me and it is abstract as well as figurative work where one can also inform or influence the other and where I also attempt to fuse both directions and see where that Leeds me. There is however a very big difference of the state of mind that I’m working in, between my Glass sculptures and painting for example. The emotional condition is not the same because the pieces I make with glass and other materials need to be very carefully planned and calculated to be accomplished besides the Initial design concept or idea since glass is a highly technical medium, while during the process making a painting and it doesn’t matter in what medium, the emotional feedback is immediate or instantly.
I believe in my paintings as well as sculptures there are elements of free expression and then again of controlled form and order, which is certainly a manifestation of my Personality showing thru or reflecting in my work.
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