Jeff Wenzel

MA, MFA, University of California, Berkeley Working with students in both painting/drawing and ceramic media, Wenzel emphasizes the importance of directness, spontaneity, and discovery which are inherent in real creative freedom. Jeff Wenzel studied and worked as teaching assistant with renowned abstract expressionist sculptor Peter Voulkos. Jeff also studied drawing and painting with Elmer Bischoff and Joan Brown, both expressionist painters identified with the Bay Area figurative movement. Jeff's work is exhibited and collected nationally. Teaching Philosophy Working with students in both painting/drawing and ceramic media, I emphasize the importance of immediacy, spontaneity, directness and discovery, which are inherent in real creative freedom. Artist Statement I work intuitively, instinctively. My work is visceral. It's not conceptual; it's physical and experiential. I work best when I'm open and loose and a little reckless, setting aside the restrictive tendency of my rational mind. By being direct and avoiding self-censorship and doubt, more interesting things happen and I am less prone to contrivance. Destruction, impulsivity and accidents are a big part of my process. I take liberty to paint over, to cut and rip, to obliterate. A central conviction of mine is that any really good piece transcends itself; the materials and techniques employed become insignificant. That something comprised of ordinary mundane materials—cardboard, crayons, string—can embody the intrinsic expressive power to spellbind and delight is compelling to me. Picasso said, “It's what one finds, not how he gets there, that is the thing." That I can occasionally and to some degree happen upon this experience in my own work is what sustains me as an artist. View Jeff's Website