Artist

Paul Dresang

born Appleton, WI 1948
Media - dresang_paul.jpg - 89987
Also known as
  • Paul A. Dresang
  • Paul Anthony Dresang
Born
Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Active in
  • Edwardsville, Illinois, United States
Biography

In his early ceramic work Paul Dresang produced fully functional vessels, an approach he abandoned once he started to work with porcelain in 1985. With this change, he began to explore the surreal images he could create with ceramics. He is known for sculpting teapots enclosed in "unzipped" ceramic "bags." This motif emerged from the artist's interest in the opposing ideas of constraint and breaking free. This theme later led him to incorporate other common objects such as children's toys or household wares. Dresang focuses his work on everyday items because he hopes that they will evoke a memory or experience, providing viewers a personal connection to his sculptures.

Works by this artist (3 items)

John Wesley Jarvis, Mr. Nichol, 1809, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1942.2.1
Mr. Nichol
Date1809
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
John Wesley Jarvis, William McIntyre, early 19th century, watercolor, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.22
William McIntyre
Dateearly 19th century
watercolor, pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
John Wesley Jarvis, Commodore Isaac Chauncey, ca. 1814, oil on panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.23
Commodore Isaac Chauncey
Dateca. 1814
oil on panel
Not on view