David Versluis | new work: Public Art Edina, Minnesota—Sculpture Exhibit 2017–18

This piece, titled “Rungs to Rings” was selected by the Edina Art Center, city of Edina (Minneapolis metro) for the 2017–18 outdoor public sculpture exhibition. The eight foot high (325 lbs), welded, all-steel and powder-coated sculpture will be rented for a year starting in May. The piece will be placed on a twenty-inches high pedestal and elevated to a total height of almost ten feet.

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New work—David Versluis: Sioux County Oratorio Poster for 2017

David Versluis, designer and photographer
12x18 inches
2017

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David Versluis | Roy R. Behrens: a collaborative series of Iowa Insect Montages

The Iowa Insect Digital Montage Series preface by Roy R. Behrens:

David Versluis and I decided to try something. He has a collection of Iowa bugs (dead ones) of which he made exquisite scans at high resolution. He began to send me the scan files, one at a time by e-mail, with the challenge that I should respond to them by beginning to build a digital montage, using Adobe Photoshop. I could do whatever I liked. Then I would pass that back to him, in response to which he’d make a move—and pass it back to me again (as if we were playing chess). And so on, usually with five or six back-and-forth turns, until we mutually came to suspect that the work was finished. So that’s how we proceeded.

Beetle I Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Beetle II Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Cicada Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Yellow Jacket Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Dragonflies with Cicada Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Scarab Beetles Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Hoverflies Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches


Leaf Beetle Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Ladybird Beetle Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 


Cicada Husk Digital Montage (2012) © David Versluis and Roy R. Behrens
40 x 60 inches 

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“Northern Lights” — monoprint: new work

Northern Lights
David M. Versluis ©2015
10" w x 13" h
2015
Three-color monoprint

This is one of a series of 10 monoprints printed from Plexiglas plates using an inked roller and dab technique. The effect is painterly and structural where the pigment is embedded into the paper fibers. This results in an image indicating the integrability of medium and message.

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Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Dordt College campus event—student graphic design

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—Dordt College Event Graphics (vinyl banners)
This banner series was initially designed in fall 2012 and continues to be used each year.
Kuyper Apartments (the stage area)
Each banner is w 42 inches x 130 inches

The MLK banners graphic design group for 2012:
Andrew Steendam, Darin Lammers, Mandy Faber, Cait Vaags, Ashley Viet, Nathan Morehead.

Quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. 

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“Evocative Poetry: Colossians 1:15-20” — a collaborative work by David Versluis and Jacob Van Wyk

Evocative Poetry: Colossians 1:15-20
David Versluis (designer) and Jacob Van Wyk (ceramic artist)
Ceramic Tile Mural (Glazed Stoneware)
10 x 17 feet—approx. 3,000 lbs.
A 2014 Dordt College art commission for the Science Building Addition.


This view shows Versluis (dark shirt) and Van Wyk (red shirt) who are beginning to layout the finished tiles on the template. Eventually this preparation step will lead the mounting the tiles to the aluminum support panels that are adjacent to the template in this picture.


Nelson Wynia, the metal fabricator and Van Wyk are shown mounting the aluminum baseplate to 30, one and a half inch, protruding wall standoffs.

The work is based on the following Biblical passage:
 
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col 1: 15-20

Artists’ Statement:

The title “Evocative Poetry: Colossians 1:15–20” was derived from two significant books on Colossians. In The Climax of the Covenant theologian N.T. Wright describes Colossians 1:15–20 as “Paul’s poetry.” Keesmaat and Walsh in Colossians Revisited call it “radical and evocative poetry.”

This relief sculpture is meant to reflect what Colossians says about Jesus, in creation and in covenant with his people. Through the square-cut tiles we want to suggest, as songwriter Matthew Westerholm does in “The First Place,” that “Every inch of this universe belongs to you, O Christ. For through you and for you it was made. Your creation endures by the order of your hand.”

The suggested topographic geographical map alludes to God’s blessing on all creation, all things, and all humankind. With N.T. Wright, we proclaim that “the creator God is also the redeeming, covenant God, and vice versa.”

In the coloration of the piece, we tried to compliment and anchor the interior space in this building. Even though the ceramic tiles are heavy, they seem to float against the wall, creating a sense of dynamic and kinetic energy in this space in which students and faculty will explore and discover the endless wonder and complexity of what God has made.

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Fabrication is currently in progress for “Enlaced”—a “burning bush” sculpture design by Versluis for Dordt College

Fabrication is currently in progress for Enlaced: a “burning bush” sculpture design
SolidWorks illustration of the red painted version (above) by William Morren
CORTEN Steel
18 feet high x width: 7 feet wide
Seven uprights or fingers allude to the number seven as the biblical symbol for completion and perfection.


Earlier this past May we received the good news from Dordt’s Advancement Office to proceed with the large 18 foot tall sculpture, which had been proposed for the front of Convenant Hall and had been awaiting full funding.  Ideas for the sculpture go back to 2010; Versluis’s proposal was selected and approved in early 2011. Fabrication has begun on the Dordt College East Campus Sculpture.

The fabrication is taking place at D+M Metal Products in Comstock Park, Michigan. D+M Metal has been around since 1946 and provides engineering, fabricating, welding, metal forming, blanking and machining services. The photograph above was taken by D+M co-owner Bob Buist and shows the bottom half of one of the uprights being constructed. As Mies van der Rohe said, “God is in the details” and careful engineering and fabrication have been key elements in the project. The photograph above shows one of the sections being assemble and welded. Notice the construction detail at the foreground indicating the mortise and tenon along with a fish mouth joint (saddle joint) to join the top and bottom sections.


This photograph shows two completed uprights “fingers” placed together.

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New work: 2013 Sioux County Oratorio Chorus Poster

The 2013 Sioux County Oratorio Chorus performance poster
Graphic designer and photographer: David Versluis
Icon artist: Michelle L. Hofer
Size: 11 x 17 inches, 27.94 x 43.18 cm 

This year the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus is scheduled to perform Handel’s Messiah at Northwestern College’s Christ Chapel on Saturday, April 27, 2013. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Dordt College alumna, Michelle Hofer (’98) developed this Messiah icon (after the Hagia Sophia’s Deësis Mosaic) as a 4' x 9' banner for her church in Freeman, South Dakota. The banner and image has an amazing environmental and liturgical presence. The piece is a textile mosaic comprised of thousands of multi-colored 9mm squares cut from iron-on fabrics and applied by hand onto shear purple fabric. Michelle’s banner was selected for Dordt’s 2012 “The Christian Evasion of Popular Culture” conference art exhibition.

In an exhibition interview about her work with icons Michelle states:

My artistic venture into religious imagery grew out of a trip to Istanbul, Turkey in 2001. Visiting some of the world’s oldest churches, the interiors of which are covered with beautiful and breathtaking images, had a profound impact on me. The work I’ve done with Christian icon images is quite personal, and many of the pieces in my show have become sources of deep spiritual strength, comfort and renewal – I carry them in my heart and mind always. 

The poster was printed by COLORFX in Boyden, Iowa.

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Behrens and Versluis collaborative print selected for the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center’s First Juried Exhibition

David M. Versluis and Roy R. Behrens, Iowa Insect Series: Yellow Jacket, 
digital collage–giclee print, 2012. Image copyright © David M. Versluis/Roy R. Behrens

A collaborative print by David Versluis, Sioux Center, Iowa and Roy Behrens, Dysart, Iowa was selected for the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center’s first national juried exhibition in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Art professor Behrens teaches graphic design at the University of Northern Iowa and Versluis teaches graphic design at Dordt College. The piece selected for recognition is from the “Iowa Insect Series” of 10 images, which were completed during the month of January, 2012. The collaboration was long distance and image files were volleyed back and forth while each artist added, subtracted or modified the image until both felt the print was finished and the series was completed.

The First Juried Exhibition runs from September 14 through December 2, 2012 in the Everist Gallery; the Opening Reception is September 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Some notes from the Juror, Megan Johnston:

The task of selecting only 60 works from amongst the 508 entered was very difficult. Many strong works were not selected in order to have a clearer curatorial intention, which will hopefully be evident in the show. In order to create an exhibition that had a voice or a story to tell, works were selected based on several curatorial themes that emerged from amongst the pool of submissions and not necessarily on individual pieces. Newer work was selected over older work in general.

Some of the curatorial thrusts that emerged from the pool of works during the selection process: an investigation of materials; politics; landscape; nature; and death. There is a strong visual leaning towards the natural world—themes and ideas, materials and construction, imagery and subject matter. The selection process went beyond the identification of works that were simply (even though highly) beautiful to look at or were well-executed and sought out works that contained multiple layers of narrative, were examples of interesting or non-traditional use of materials (or re-use of traditional materials) and/or had something to say in relation to sociopolitical, economic, or historical nuances.

Megan Johnston is the director of curatorial affairs and interpretation for the Plains Art Museum, Fargo, North Dakota.

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New work: The 2012 Sioux County Oratorio Chorus Poster

Graphic designer: David Versluis 

This year the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus is scheduled to perform Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Northwestern College’s Christ Chapel on Saturday, April 28, 2012. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

The visual impact of this year’s poster is the typographic boldness of Elijah’s name along with the fire image. These design elements were inspired by the Elijah story (1 Kings 18: 38-39) where the water-saturated altar and sacrifice is instantaneously consumed by fire. The event is a powerful testament to the power of the Yahweh.

The poster was designed by David Versluis and printed by Demco Printing Company in Boyden, Iowa.

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Dordt College Classroom Building Sculpture Proposal

Photography and illustration by versluis © 2011

The illustration above shows the collaborative Dordt campus sculpture proposal for the exterior wall of the Ribbens Academic Complex Building (east elevation). The piece is tentatively called “Insignia” and it’s important that the work compliments both the architecture and the existing sculpture titled “The Gift” by Van Wyk. The collaboration consists of artwork by Jacob Van Wyk along with design and illustration by David Versluis. Proposed project materials and construction is a wall-mounted substrate of individually glazed stoneware tiles.

Interestingly, regarding collaborative process, architect Frank Gehry conveys this insight:

I collaborate with people on projects because it enriches the mix and gets you somewhere else that you wouldn’t have gotten to otherwise. When it’s really working, it is like holding hands and jumping off a cliff together.[1]

1. Isenberg, Barbara. Conversations with Frank Gehry. First ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. 155. Print.

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The “Charis: Boundary Crossings” Exhibition at Dordt College

A photograph of the Charis Exhibition installation at Dordt College. Photograph by versluis © 2011.

The following article (used with permission) is by Adam McDonald editor for the Dordt Diamond, the student newspaper:

The newest addition to the Dordt College Art Gallery “Charis: Boundary Crossings — Neighbors, Strangers, Family, Friends” is a series comprised of various works between seven North American and seven Asian artists. “The gist of this was to form collaborations between American artists and those in Asia,” said Art Professor David Versluis. “They met in Indonesia for two weeks exploring art and Christianity on a global level.”

Charis is a Greek word that means “grace” but more literally, “good will”. The term has been used by many Asian Christian artists as they find themselves in pluralistic societies. The challenges of cross-cultural communication, the need for people of faith to address real world issues, social justice, peace and reconciliation, not to mention the effects of globalization make this a complex contemporary exhibition.

Paintings, sculpture, fiber constructions, installation and video projections are all a part of the medium of the show and shows a strong diversity in not only the kinds of artists that comprise the show but in the kinds of media one can see in the show itself.

“It’s interesting that the Asian artists, according to some of the North American artists, had a strong social justice component to their work,” said Versluis. “The display really shows you different ways to look at art based on cultural context. For instance, the North American artists seem to be more educated within art academies and tend to think more in terms of postmodern work. In contrast, most of the Asian artists show a strong allegiance to formalism, the form of a painting as well as figurative work.”

Versluis heard about the show through Art Professor Rachel Hostetter Smith, curator of the exhibit, who teaches at Taylor University. “I was interested in the theme of the show and thought it would be worthwhile to bring to Dordt,” said Versluis. The show is being funded by the Andreas Center for Reformed Scholarship and will remain at Dordt until the end of the 2011 school year.

Professor Smith will be at Dordt on November 18 for a reception and gallery talk. Exhibiting artists include: Roger Feldman, U.S.A.; Edgar Talusan Fernandez, Philippines; Daniel Enrique Garcia, U.S.A., b. Peru; Emmanuel Garibay, Philippines; David J.P. Hooker, U.S.A.; Barry Krammes, U.S.A.; Timur Indyah Poerwowidagdo, Indonesia; Rondal Reynoso, U.S.A.; Wisnu Sasongko, Indonesia; Chris Segre-Lewis, U.S.A., b. Jamaica; Erland Sibuea, Bali; Ni Ketut Ayu Sri Wardani, Indonesia; Jo-Ann Van Reeuwyk, U.S.A. and Canada; and Soichi Watanabe, Japan.

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Minnesota Center for Book Arts: Día de los Muertos Postcard Contest

Current work: © David Versluis (photography and digital design)
Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead postcard contest (4" x 6")

The photographs are a pair of one hundred years old sailing ship deadeyes, which have been scanned from a 35mm contact sheet of photographs that were shot in Grand Haven, Michigan in 1982.

The Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) call for entries states: any media may be used — the subject matter should reflect the traditions and art associated with El Día de los Muertos.

The Dordt College advanced graphic design class is also participating with each student submitting at least one design. All the entries are displayed in the MCBA Open Book Lobby Gallery in Minneapolis from September 16 to November 6, 2011.

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Steve Frykholm: Herman Miller Summer Picnic Posters (1970-1989)—Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery

above: Steve Frykholm, courtesy of Herman Miller, used with permission
below: Show installation photograph by versluis, 2011

The Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery (the department of art and design) proudly presents the exhibition:

Steve Frykholm, serigraphs
Herman Miller Summer Picnic Posters, 1970–1989
August 1 – October 2
On display are 20 posters from the Roger and Jeanne Knop collection, Muskegon, Michigan.

Herman Miller (located in Zeeland, Michigan) is known for their innovative furniture designs. Each year a poster is designed to promote the Herman Miller annual company picnic. This exhibition features, chronologically, the first twenty posters, which were designed by Steve Frykholm. The first poster, designed in 1970, started this wonderful series of serigraphs (silkscreen prints) and graphic design. The posters feature super-sized items like ice cream cones, cake, and fruit to illustrate the summer picnic theme. Several of Frykholm’s Summer Picnic posters are in the permanent collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Smithsonian, Washington DC.

Steve Frykholm has worked for Herman Miller for over 40 years. He is the creative director and vice president of design for the National Design Award-winning furniture company. In an illustrious career he has worn many hats: designer, art director, artist and client. His work has been widely published and has been included in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Danish Museum of Decorative Art. In 2010 he was awarded the AIGA Medal, which is the AIGA’s highest award.

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René Clement portrays the heritage of Orange City, Iowa in a book and exhibition

Above: Cassie (Huizenga) Baker dressed in costume and wrapped in the American flag as the Orange City Tulip Festival Queen, 2006. Photograph © René Clement, used with permission. In the upper right, René is shown speaking about his project in Dordt’s gallery during the show reception (photograph courtesy of Jordan Edens). The Promising Land exhibition is on display this summer at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa (installation view). The exhibition, which initially coincided with the Orange City Tulip Festival, has been partially funded by a grant from the Netherlands Consulate General in New York.

Promising Land is a book by award-winning photographer René Clement picturing residents of Orange City dressed in old-world Dutch costumes, shown in a variety of situations from satirical to traditional studio portraits. René says: “I started [the project] with portraits. I was fascinated with how beautiful their clothes were.” In addition, Clement’s portraits reflect the influence of the seventeenth century Dutch Master, Jan Vermeer (reference Girl with the Pearl Earring). The black background and chiaroscuro effect of each portrait is reminiscent of the Italian artist Caravaggio whose style influenced many artists associated with the so-called Golden Age of Dutch art in the 1600s. An interesting side bar note is that Clement’s photographic images perhaps correlates with Vermeer’s supposed interest in camera obscura.

An exhibit of 37 of his photographs will be at the Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery in Sioux Center May 12-July 24. The gallery is open 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Sioux City Journal did a very nice feature article about René, his book project, and mentions the show at Dordt.

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Dordt College Art Committee: Concept proposal for an East Campus Sculpture

Illustration and maquette by David Versluis. Piece is entitled: “Enlaced,” © 2011.
Scale: eighteen feet high x seven feet wide.

The design of this sculpture is guided by a sense of an intertwining of a Christian perspective that’s found within Dordt College’s academic community. This sculptural piece tries to convey this aspect by weaving together seven upright metallic forms. The individual upright pieces are grouped into a regular pattern and yet suggest variety with unity through the columns of different heights. The goal is to develop a symbolic respite on campus, whether the piece is placed within a new landscaped sculpture garden or simply juxtaposed with existing buildings and pedestrian walkways.

The rusty patina of steel surface suggests an honest character produced by natural environmental elements. COR-TEN® steel forms a stable rust-like appearance when exposed to the weather for several years.

The sculpture is comprised of seven columns, which to some extent allude to the Hebraic biblical symbolism of seven branches of the traditional temple lamp-stand called the menorah (Exodus 25:31-40). The menorah is thought to symbolize the burning bush as seen by Moses on Mount Horeb (Exodus 3). In addition, the design of the menorah suggests the six branches of human knowledge, which are symbolically guided by the seventh branch representing the light of God.

Psalm 19 talks about the ways in which creation reveals God’s patterning in beautiful poetic language. Emphasizing the import of the “burning bush” analogy Calvin Seerveld writes in Rainbows for the Fallen World:

“Psalm 19 is enough to leave you limp. It makes vivid that all creation is a burning bush of the Lord God, revealing his just, merciful presence by the praise of countless creatures. It sings the glory of the law and ordinances by which Yahweh’s mouth rules all goings on in history with wisdom and compassion … and … it ends by confessing … that in keeping the law and in doing what’s right there is no justification … [God] save us! … Set us free from our sinful selves to be your willing servants, Lord!”

This sculpture celebrates the common reality found in Psalm 19 in which all human beings exist. If implemented a sculpture area would be a public space — a place where the Dordt community could congregate, meet, talk, and interact.

Referenced materials:

Strauss, Gideon. “Wonder, Heartbreak and Hope.” Capital Commentary. The Center for Public Justice, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Seerveld, Calvin. Rainbows for the Fallen World: The Aesthetic Life and Artistic Task. Downsview, Ontario: Toronto Tuppence Press, 1980. 17. Print.

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new work: “Saint John Passion” performance poster

The 2011 Sioux County Oratorio Chorus Poster, © 2011
Size: 11 x 17 inches, 27.94 x 43.18 cm
David Versluis, designer and photographer

This crucifixion image is a photograph of a medieval French lifesize wood sculpture and predates J. S. Bach’s musical work by many years. However, the image still seems appropriate for promoting the performance of the Saint John Passion by the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus (Iowa). The sculpture is from the collection of the Musée de Cluny in Paris, which is officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge (National Museum of the Middle Ages). Light passages in the image were generated by the shadows in the original photograph and created through Adobe Photoshop® invert techniques that reinforce the power of the image. Sometimes Photoshop can produce cheap special effects, but I believe the strikingly dramatic effect of the image in this poster signals an important theme in Bach’s work.

In scripture God expresses his style with exceptional word pictures and metaphors. As we approach the Lenten season next week (Ash Wednesday is 9 March) let us do so with imagination—“O lieber Heiland” (“O precious Savior”). [1]

1. Schmidt, Thomas. A Scandalous Beauty: The Artistry of God and the Way of the Cross. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, a division of Baker Book House Company, 2002. 7-8. Print.

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Andy Warhol and the parodic model

The Dordt College 2011 Annual Junior Art Show poster was designed by Ellie Dykstra and others with photography by Annemarie Osinga.

This year’s Junior Art Show poster is an imaginative parody of the parody by referencing Pop artist Andy Warhol’s reproduction of media stars. It may seem obvious, but the art show poster is based on the parody of multiples in Warhol’s Hollywood imago pieces of the 60s and 70s, which he serigraphed photos taken from glossy magazines. The junior students are using pseudo serigraphy from Adobe Photoshop, but I enjoy the colors and density of typed information in the poster layout. In addition, what I appreciate about the Dordt Student’s poster is expressed by the tongue-in-cheek attitude and bright toothy smiles that critique and mimic Warhol’s work but without the mockery, which seems to characterize much of postmodern art parody. The poster is filled with signs of life, energy, and enthusiasm without the inanimate vacuity sometimes associated with Warhol’s Pop art. [1]

This poster, besides being fun, is also about the relationship of images and their originals.

1. Kearney, Richard. The Wake of Imagination. London: Century Hutchinson Ltd. and Routledge, 1988. 254-397. Print.

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The tension between making art that depends on familiar devices and being honest to an artistic vision.

David Versluis
Spirit Lake, Iowa: Fish with Brush
Digital / Giclèe Print, Framed 31'' x 40''
2005 and printed in 2007

This piece responds allusively to tension between the technical aspects of digital images and the intention of the artist who makes them. Thinking of the fish image as metaphor was the primary goal with these digitally produced pieces. However, the inclusion of the brush image in the composition is a simile that senses the intrinsic tension between the computer as artistic medium and the tradition of the artist’s brush as the painter’s handcrafted tool.

My work is produced through digital photography, digital collage techniques, and eight-color giclée printing. Digital collage is a medium, in the structure of binary data that can shape and express highly personal artistic work.

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Heidegger: About the Nature of Things

Part 1a: 15 minutes. Produced by request from a Follower.

Part 1b: 15 minutes.

Thinking About “Things” Part 1 — Tuesday, March 2, An Evening With Philosopher and Dordt College Professor, Mark Tazelaar.

Regarding Robert Rauschenberg’s painting Pilgrim, Robert Venturi mentions the piece in his important book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, 1966. Venturi writes:

…the surface pattern continues from the stretcher canvas to the actual chair [chairs have stretchers too] in front of it, making ambiguous the distinction between the painting and the furniture, and on another level, the work of art in a room. A contradiction between levels of function and meaning is recognized in these works, and the medium is strained.

Marc Edo Tralbaut in his book, Vincent Van Gogh, discusses Van Gogh’s Boots, 1887, by quoting Martin Heidegger, who said, “Engraved in the hollow of a boot is the weariness of the steps of work. The rough and solid weight of the clog tells of the slow and obstinate trudge across the fields”.

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