Votives by Siem van der VenCeramic Artist Siem van der Ven’s Holiday Open Studio on December 10 Brenda Bonneville, editor December 5, 2022 (Lincolnville, ME) You are cordially invited to van der Ven Studios’ Holiday Open Studio on Saturday, December 10 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Come share cookies and holiday cheer as you peruse new porcelain votives and cups, and the most recent wood-fired work. Van der Ven’s studio is located at 27 Moss Meadow in Lincolnville Center (just down from the General Store). Miki Glasser and Meghan Flynn’s Studio Ceramics by Miki Glasser In addition, there will be several other artists in Lincolnville who will be hosting open studios at the same time including: Antje Roitzsch (Young Town Road), Meghan Flynn Ceramics, Miki Glasser Ceramics, Hermit Thrush Brooms, Hope Learning Toys, along with Bee Balm & Nettle (all at the Boat Club Studio located at 209 Main Street in Lincolnville Center). About Siem van der Ven Simon “Siem” van der Ven follows these threads through his life: making things, cooking, drawing, sailing, teaching, being a father (the very best work he’s been a part of). He has never let go of the stage in which he learns from his fingertips inward. Siem’s undergraduate degree is in printmaking with a minor in sculpture. He 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 Siem worked in Atelier Buffile and studied painting and critical theory at the Marchutz School. Later, while still teaching, he earned an MFA with a concentration in ceramics and drawing. Siem has taught as an adjunct professor at U-Rock and Unity College. He’s also facilitated various workshops including Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Siem has been a resident artist at Anderson Ranch in Colorado and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. As an artist, Siem’s 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. Currently, Siem lives and works in Lincolnville Center, Maine with his wife Kate Braestrup. They share loving six grown children.
