About me
"Dego"
Artist
Statement:
Making Art or why, is one of the most
difficult things to explain or talk about in my opinion because it is certainly
for me a solitary impulse or drive that is especially at the beginning not very
clear, it is just there!
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 piece is leading me to another place where I’m wondering again what is
behind the next painting or sculpture I’m making. It feels like a never ending
winding track,
And the only thing I can say for
certain is that I will never stop exploring/climbing this path and hope it
keeps going on forever!
There is however a very big
difference of the state of mind that I’m working in between my Glass pieces and
painting for example, the emotional condition is very different because the
pieces I make with glass and other materials need to be besides the Initial
design conception very carefully planned and calculated to be accomplished,
while during the painting process and it doesn’t matter in what medium, the
emotional feedback is immediate or instantly.
I think in my paintings as well as
sculptures there are elements of free expression and then again of
controlled form and order, this is certainly a manifestation of my Personality
showing thru or reflecting in my work.
Biography of
“Dego” (Detlef
Gotzens)
Born in 1952 in Cologne Germany, Detlef
showed from an early age on that he was inclined towards an artistic career in
Life, always drawing and making things.
At the age of fifteen he became an apprentice in the stained
glass studio of Jacob Melchior in Cologne
where he completed his three year apprenticeship. During that time he was
exposed to some of the best known artist in this field which confirmed his
desire to pursue art in his Life.
After working in the field for five years Detlef decided to
further his education with a master’s degree from the guild of Cologne
and at the same time study glass technology and design for two full years at
the famous Glass College in Rheinbach close to the former
German Capital Bonn. He graduated with a Masters degree in 1977.
During all this time Detlef never stopped to paint and draw
besides designing glass, after his graduation he participated in various group
exhibitions’ as well as solo shows between Cologne and Duesseldorf. He also
spends a lot of time traveling throughout Europe
absorbing art and architecture from the various cultures. In 1985 he decided to
immigrate to Canada.
He settled in Montreal
and immediately started to work for a local studio but opened his own atelier
after just 5 month. One of his first commissions was to restore a window at the
St. Josephs Oratorio that was partially destroyed after a fire. In the
following Years Detlef by then started to sign his original art work “Dego” and
continuing to work on many high profile restoration projects from Montreal to
Ottawa for example Christ Church Cathedral, St. James the Apostle, St.
Patrick’s Basilica in Montreal and the Peace tower windows at the Parliament
Building in Ottawa, Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Basilica and St.
Anthony’s Church, all located in Ottawa. At the same time he worked on numerous
private and commercial art glass commissions in many different techniques that
contributed to his reputation as a versatile and innovative artist. Many
articles in various Papers and other publications have been written over the
years and continue to date.
In 2004 he won an art competition to design 5 large windows
for the Cultural Center in Huntingdon Quebec and these windows where published
in the American Glass Art Magazine in 2007, and one of them with the Title
"Imagine" was also exposed on John Lennon's and Yoko Ono' web site
"Imagine Peace".
His expertise and technical skill was called upon again in
2007 when he created a glass facade in New York City
(Central Park) for one of the best known
Architectural firms/designer Ali Tayar that was also published in the New York
Times.
Detlef has been Teaching "cold glass" techniques for many Years at the Montreal school of glass "Espace Verre" and is also teaching at the Ottawa school of art at the new Campus in Orleans, contemporary stained glass as well as mosaic.
Since 2009 he has decided to pursue only his art and is working on many new sculptures as well as paintings to be seen in the new Year 2011 in his first solo show at Galerie Elena Lee in Montreal, also he will be giving a two day talk at the National Gallery in Ottawa.
Currently Detlef is represented by the Gallery Elena Lee
Montreal and participated at SOFA Chicago in November
2010, and in September 2011 he will be showing his work at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York City.
"Dego" CV link:
location:
75 Rang Du moulin
St. Chrysostome, QC J0S 1R0
phone: 450 826-3163
cell: 514 707-1254
Ottawa, Gatineau location:
23 Arthur-Guertin, App. # 3
J8X 3E3
phone: 819 503-1234
Studio Hours:
Mon - Fri: 9AM - 5PM
Sat: by appointment only
Sun: Closed
