Fine Art

Dynamic Sunset represents the most difficult, yet rewarding project of my artistic career. This creation has taken a year of my life, plenty of sweat, and even a little blood. As a Purple Heart Veteran and lifelong artist, I have learned that both life and the creative process are full of hardships and challenges that we are called to turn into beauty.

Dynamic Sunset is currently on display, free to the public, on the main floor of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum from Friday, September 13th to Saturday the 28th. The piece is currently available for purchase, including a customer display light, and local delivery for $27,000. For inquiries, contact John T. Katerberg at jtkaterberg@gmail.com.

Dynamic Sunset began with 104 lbs of sheet brass and welded steel to form the canvas. This process was both physically and mentally demanding. It even cost me a chunk of my leg! I first learned to weld, as a younger man, during Operation Desert Storm. At the time, I had no idea that repairing damaged military vehicles was preparing me to create my greatest works. A graduate of The Kendall School of Art and Design, oil painting has long been my medium of choice. For Dynamic Sunset, I used an experimental combination of oil and acrylic that allowed me to paint directly on the metal. The real magic came when I ground the paint layers away, revealing the brass underneath. Buffing and shaping the metal brings the scene to life, creating an illusion of movement that can only be experienced in person.

The painting is finished with a layer of automotive clearcoat making it touchable. I hope Dynamic Sunset reminds viewers, as it has reminded me, that how we respond to the struggles and storms of life can prepare us to create and shine.

John Katerberg is a West Michigan artist who focuses on painting and printmaking. His work can be found in homes, businesses, colleges, and churches around the world. John is a Graduate of Kendall College of Art, with a BFA in fine art-painting. John ‘s art has won numerous awards in local and regional art competitions. John is also a combat veteran of Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom, with numerous awards and citations including the combat action badge and the purple heart medal from being wounded in combat. John has also volunteered as an art instructor locally for A.C.T. (Artists Creating Together), The Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, and in Florida at the Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay, Pinellas County Jail, and West care of Pinellas County. John’s current work combines elements of man and the sublime presence of God with scenes of awe in nature. John’s current groundbreaking work combines his love of reduction printmaking and painting. Working on sheet brass, John completes a landscape painting and then using pneumatic grinders and engraving tools, the brightest areas of the composition come alive with glowing and shimmering brass. The reflection of light on John’s paintings inspired him to name this new technique “Illuminated Brass” paying homage to the illuminators of the 4th and 5th centuries that created art to help draw people closer to God.