Found On Facebook: Introducing Karel Vreeburg

FOUND ON FACEBOOK  Introducing: Karel Vreeburg  

The internet is becoming a much used source for every subject imagenable. Stone sculpting videos and images are at our finger tips through search engines, websites and social networks. Lane “discovered” Karel when he responded to Karel’s “friend” request on facebook. This introduction of Karel Vreeburg is a way to bring his work from the internet to our members. Karel graciously agreed to this facebook/website/Sculpture NorthWest connection. Here is some of what we found out about Karel and his amazing work.  

Karel Vreeburg is a a 60 year old stone sculptor living in Harrlem, Netherlands. On a straight line he’s 4 miles east of the Atlantic and 11 miles west of Amsterdam. He speaks French, German, English and Netherlands Taal (NT2).

In April of 2010, there was an article in STONE IDEAS.COM, a global on-line magazine for arcatecture and design with stone.  

“To date we have presented a number of unconventional artists. But in the case of the Dutch Karel Vreeburg nothing complies to the conventional projection of a sculptor: he holds a PHD in medicine and began working in art after a short introduction at the ripe age of 53. In a precisely worded e-mail he writes that he actually only works the stone using methods which he learned in his early years as a dental technician except that shaping and mouldings takes place in the interior of the stone.

Fascinating forms come to light, which seem somehow impossible. He writes: “What I am looking for in the stone are mathematical objects such as a twisting, Möbius rings and mathematical knots.”  

Father of the ideas is Mauritius Escher and his crazy yet maddeningly rational worlds. “Like Escher I am not interested in formulas, but in the visual outcome of them.”

He calls his works “Hidden Sculptures”. One piece captivates him for up to 300 hours using his old tools of the trade since conventional stone sculpting tools are only suited for the exterior of the stone.

He dreams of working a really large object in the future, he writes. Yet another idea is an animated projection whereby complementary parts of a stone sculpture made of ice or snow and adapted to the colours of the stone would melt and flow away. Animation could produce a sort of creation and destruction – a coming and going in a sort of breathing or respiration.

Oh yes, he is also a bit remorseful at not having studied mathematics or Astronomy. At the 2009 Florence Biennale he was awarded 3rd prize for his work.”

Would you like to drop in on Karel at his studio? Here is what he said about that:

“My sculpture studio is on the ground floor of the old “Tax Building” in the city of Haarlem. You can find me there almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm. There is a permanent exposition of most of my sculptures in the building. It is not a public building, so the front door is closed. Call me to open the door. Visitors are welcome.”

  To see more go to: http://www.karelvreeburg.nl/index/13828493_Kunst+Critici.html

  International phone number: 0031 6 104 57 305

  Studio address: Surinameweg2, 2035VA Haarlem, Netherlands

  Karel’s website: karel@karelvreeburg.nl