Dave Norem
I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1974, then moved to Elkhorn, Wisconsin in 1977. My family moved to Kansas City in 1989. I studied art with James Wheat at Shawnee Mission West from 89-91. I studied ceramics from George Timok during Summer Studio at the Kansas City Art Institute in 1990. After graduating from Shawnee Mission West in 1992 I studied Foundations at the Kansas city Art Institute, taking Performance Art with William Easton and Stone Carving with Allen Tollackson.
I received my Bachelors of Fine Art in Sculpture from the University of Kansas in 1998. At KU I studied Metal Casting with John Hachmiester and Sculptural Welding with Richard Gillespie.
In 2000 I received my Masters of Fine Art from the University of Oregon in Eugene. While at the University of Oregon I created the giant installation “Ultra Natural” at the Jordan-Schnitzer Museum and also taught Drawing and Modeling. I studied stone carving with David Miller and Kazutake Uchida in 2002.
While living in Eugene, Oregon I married artist Amanda Cram and we had our son. We lived in Eugene for 14 years, where we opened a local studio/performance space, Gallery Obscura, in 2007. In 2013 we moved back to Kansas City. Our family has now been living a very creative and fruitful life in the studio and the garden. I have been teaching Sculptural Welding and Stone Carving at Johnson County Community College since 2014.
My work has always been a cross between highly detailed craftsmanship and explosive self expression. My work concepts revolve around creating new mythologies and new worlds. My art takes cues from Outsider and Folk Art. I try to emulate historical surrealists such as Ernst and Klinger. My work also deals with the blood, heart of loss, and death. My holographic universe of multidimensional work balances on non descript pseudo-spiritual symbologies, monuments, and ultra natural DIY sculpting, drawing, and music making.
