art exhibits

I enlisted in the Army in 2003. In 2004, I left for a 12+ month deployment to Iraq. Typically, we worked seven days a week in a country, where the painted landscape displayed various shades of brown. Triple-digit temperatures made daily life hard. With ordnance exploding all around us, the biggest take away was all about trusting the guy next to you. We discovered the importance of working as a team to survive. We needed each other to cope with stress and to manage our fears.

After leaving the army, I rejoined the civilian world in construction. My wife and I enjoy our three dogs: Gus, Jaq (like the mice from Cinderella), and Roe—as in “Rules of Engagement.” As an artistic person, I constantly bounce between the left brain, in construction, and the right brain, in my love for art. But after combat duty, I struggled to express myself. My feelings about the world got locked up, making it difficult to deal with the anxiety. By turning to art, the dark emotions churning inside me—the residual effects of war—finally found an outlet.

Tormented Souls

This series of pen and ink drawings came from raw emotions. After my tour in Iraq, drawing became a therapy, because I usually draw from my dark spots. Art helped me to funnel my negative energy into a positive outlet, to keep my problem from escalating. It takes about two to three days to finish each pen and ink drawing. The work starts with sketching on archival paper. Next, I develop the line work. The third drawing, with the couple embracing, pictures me with my first wife. While struggling to escape a dark place, I cried out, “Don’t let me lose myself.” As I reached out, she embraced me in this gigantic hug. Art provided a way for me to communicate without words, to release my concerns, and to experience healing and restoration.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Tormented Souls is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, Frames Unlimited, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.

Early in life, I never envisioned myself as an accomplished artist. During Desert Storm, I served aboard the L. Y. Spear AS-36. My mode of service was precision calibration of the 7th fleet’s fast-attack nuclear-powered submarines. This opened the door to a lifetime of learning. I am honored to have been a part of such a challenging mission.

By utilizing the skills passed down from three generations of metalworkers, in combination with my Naval experience, I began to express myself creatively through art. I am learning that art invites freedom of expression. It takes a lot of courage to bring my visions to reality and display my work publicly. But I’m very honored to have this opportunity to inspire others.

Freedom Eagle

Unlike other eagles, the bald eagle is indigenous only to North America. This particular piece of art is created from extruded aluminum. Using various techniques, I was able to produce a variety of finishes and details to enhance the work. It took most of the summer to create this sculpture. The processes I employed will ensure that this piece stands the test of time for a century or more. The magnificent bald eagle is an important symbol for our country, as well as others around the world—it represents freedom for all.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Freedom Eagle is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.

Through my paintings, I want to convey the people and places of African Culture. I was always interested in ancient history as a child, and I loved doodling. At four years old, I was inspired by my two older brothers, who drew cartoon and comic book characters. I started drawing animals from our giant family dictionary at age eight, and I painted watercolors of comic book characters at ten. I started creating pencil portraits at thirteen, and my first acrylic painting at fifteen.

During my middle school years, I began reading about people like W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fredrick Douglass, and others. But I was not satisfied with contemporary history; I needed answers to the who, what, where, and when about African history, the period before slavery, the information beyond my high school African history classes. I started doing my own research. To my surprise, I discovered a whole new universe of information.

After leaving the military service at 23, I started building my personal library of African literature, in total around a thousand books and counting. In 2004, while also collecting paintings of African people and their historical places, I started painting for enjoyment, giving away my work to friends and relatives, or selling some work. But my goal in life is to continue to paint African art, inspired by my research. My future goal is to display my work in a museum one day, or show the work in a public center for African culture.

Thebes

This painting depicts a scene of the Opet Festival, an annual ancient Egyptian festival celebrated in Thebes (Luxor) during the season of Akhet and the flooding of the Nile. The festival was celebrated to promote the fertility of Amun-Re and the pharaoh, who was believed to be the spiritual offspring of Amun-Re. The Opet began on ll Aket 15 (between June and September) under Thutmose lll, 1458-1426 B.C., and lasted eleven days.

The festival included a ritual procession of the barque (a ceremonial boat used to transport statues of gods and deities) of the cult statue of Amun-Re, supreme god; his wife, Mut; and his son, Khons. This procession carried the statue for two kilometers, from Karnak to Luxor Temple, its final destination.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Thebes is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, PlexiCase Inc, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.

John Katerberg, a purple heart recipient, is a combat veteran of Desert Storm and Afghanistan. After being medically retired from the Army in 2013, John returned to Kendall College of Art and Design and earned a B.F.A. in fine art with a painting concentration.

Although a lifelong resident of Western Michigan, John moved to Florida for two years, where he took an active role in the art communities of Tampa, Sarasota, Cedar Key, and Saint Petersburg. John was also an art instructor at the Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay, with primary teaching locations at the Pinellas County Jail and West Care addiction recovery program.

By sharing the transformative power of art, John mentors many people struggling through the lowest time in their lives. Currently, John is developing a relationship with the Falkenberg Jail in Florida. He plans to teach art to incarcerated veterans via Zoom.

Postcards from Home

Postcards from Home is a three-sided display of three 72 x 36-in. paintings of Michigan scenes. This piece is unique to the art world, as it combines both acrylic and oil paint on a foundation of polished brass. When the realistic painting is nearly finished, John uses pneumatic and electric grinders, as well as engraving hand tools, to reveal polished brass. Coated with an automotive clearcoat, the art is completely waterproof.

As the viewer interacts with and experiences the work, the paint surface appears to move and change. The title, Postcards from Home, honors the tradition of sending postcards, photos, and letters to members of the military to remind them of the places and people they love. Memory of these places helped John endure stressful and dangerous situations when he was deployed to war.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Postcards from Home is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.