Born in Seefeld Oberalting, South Germany 1958. Volker Steigemann passionately fell in love with art at a young age. He was raised largely by his grandmother, who used to save scraps of paper for him to use as sketch paper.
After school he took an apprenticeship as a wood carver and wood sculptor in the Oberammergauer Wood Sculpting School from 1974 to 1977. With the Sculptor Heinrich Glas as his teacher he learned how to shape life sized animals and humans using clay, then make castings using Plaster of Paris and translate the creations into model carvings or monumental Wood Sculptures.
The following fall semester of 1977 he enrolled into the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. For six semesters he studied with Professor Hans Ladner. Volker’s interest and competence in the studies of the anatomic human body flourished and grew under Ladner’s program.
Volker then decided to get his own shop in the City. Getting job after job doing all kinds of woodworking projects and commissions, he was able to pay it off with in one year. In the spring of 1980, Volker spontaneously immigrated to the West Coast of Canada, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1986. This wild and very wood filled coast of Canada presented all kinds of new artistic inspiration for him. Here he taught sculpting, carving, and 3-dimensional drawing in local schools and leaning centers in and throughout BC.
As of now Volker lives on his sailboat just off the shores of Cortes Island. Here he spends his time creating new sculptures and pieces of art to share and give. He also spends a great deal of his time traveling around the world internationally, participating in Group and Solo Exhibits in Wood Sculpting Symposiums. Family, friends and lots of wood often surround him. All these years he has tenaciously held fast to his love affair with art and creating. His passion only continues to grow each day.