Jake Goertzen

Mach I - Aviation tribute, abstract, polished stainless steel, outdoor sculpture

2022

Jake Goertzen has lived and worked in Horndean, Manitoba, since 1994 when he purchased a former rural school property there. Goertzen works in a wide variety of media: Bronze, steel, terra cotta, wax, cultured marble, stone, concrete; and he has done numerous snow sculptures at various winter festivals, including the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, where he received 2nd place. Competent in representational work - some of which is displayed in his gallery - he also works in abstract designs. Some of his large abstract pieces are for sale at present at Oeno Gallery near Belleville Ontario. The artist is well-known for his large sculptures. His largest project to date is a fabricated 7-ton steel tree with a 1-ton eagle perched on top. Other large works include a 1-ton bison on River Road near St. Andrews, MB, a 1-ton great grey owl, an 8-foot high Sasquatch, (both of which are in Portage la Prairie, MB, a double life-size male turkey on a private property in the Pembina Hills, a 7-foot high peacock at the International Peace Gardens, and a variety of ornamental railings and arbors in many private collections. He has a steel sculpture in the Gallery in the Park in Altona, a bronze over-life sculpture at the Morden Civic Centre, and a small deconstructed bison and a fairly large abstract work that is installed in the Royal Bank tower at 201 Portage Avenue in Winnipeg on the 31st floor. Becoming an artist came in mid-life for Goertzen. In order to take a break from his business, he began to indulge in artistic pursuits and studied art at private art schools in Los Angeles. Increasingly, he drew life and sculpted from life by working in the terra cotta medium. The process of creating art opened up new dimensions of creativity, and he found a renewed purpose in life. This early success so inspired him that he sold his growing business in Ontario and decided to become a sculptor in 1992. Goertzen studied at the Brentwood Art Center, the Santa Monica Fine Art Studio, both in California and the Forum Art Studio in Winnipeg. In addition, he holds a BA in History and a degree in Engineering.