Wadström & Tönnheim present an exhibition about two contrasting aspects of life
There are times to rest and times to write. A while I was not up to writing, but it would be a pity if you miss this. It’s been quite a while since I visited the opening of “Hugging The Void” (Alexa Grande) and “Solid Ground” (Stefan Otto) atGallery Wadström and Tönnheim. But the impression still stays very vivid. Now it’s late – but not too late. The show runs till 9th of January 2022. You have time until the Three Kings!!! I only discovered Gallery Wadström and Tönnheim this year. It’s a bit hidden in one of Marbella’s many commercial areas, not a great setting. The impression when you enter this spacious and aesthetic gallery is all the greater. Like art, it expands you and gives you the feeling of entering another sphere. So an unconditional recommendation. It may be late, but it’s not too late…..
For me the title of the exhibition: HUGGING THE VOID and SOLID GROUND is tempting as it features two aspects of life that can’t be more different and nevertheless are included in every ones life, more or less in proportion.
I recently saw, that the question “How to start an abstract painting” got new interest. So I decided to add to this post a video about the process of starting a new large painting. Just watch how the first layers grow. If you want to see the finished painting, you will find it on Instagram here.
An artist friend asked me the other day: How do you start an abstract painting? I didn’t give her an answer yet. Now here is a series of photos that may tell a part of the story. But it is the story of these particular works. It may be quite different with other paintings I do or how others artists design their process. There are so many ways to start a new painting. Not all ways are invented by now.
How do I start an abstract painting?
When I was starting my painters journey about 20 years ago – after some very few lessons in working figurative – I was so lucky to visit a painting workshop by an Austrian artist. Her name was Fria Elften-Frenken. She lived in a beautiful kind of farmhouse on the Neusiedler Lake. She had studied in the academy of fine arts, Vienna and was well known. One of her remembered sentences was: “It took years to forget about what I learned and to start doing my own art.” Consequently she would provide us with materials but not with lessons and ideas. She was always ready to consult when we were stuck. But we had to find our own way.
Some insights into the development of “Thinking of Saint Tropez”
Trust into yourself -its all about you!
I am lucky that I had this kind of start. That was what I was looking for in art. It is this kind of freedom. It allows you to do what you want. In a way, there is no right and wrong. If it is appreciated by others is a second questions. Art is a lot about expressing yourself. Of course there are many of things to be learned. About ways you can take, materials you can use and thousand other things. But what you do, how you get there and what result comes out of it, that is your own art.
How to cope with the „angst of the white canvas“
At the beginning another sentence was in my head about something artists experience: “the angst of the white canvas”. I don’t know where I had heard it and why it stuck in my head. But influenced the steps I took.
Read on how I handled that „Angst“ and watch the beginning of a large painting
Ich kenne meine Bilder und ihre Ausstrahlung meist aus dem Umfeld des Ateliers oder einer Ausstellung. Ich finde es immer wieder spannend, wie ein Bild durch sein Umfeld und wie sich das Umfeld durch ein Bild verändert. In dieser Serie möchte ich einige meiner Bilder in ihrem neuen Zuhause vorstellen.
The one who views the painting is as well the one who finishes the painting, because he sees it in a specific way. He or she see it in a way the painter has not seen it when painting it. That is the fascinating thing about paintings that are not defining their subject to the end or work with open or no themes. I know my paintings from the auro they have in the studio. I am always surprised to see, how much pantings change their auro depending on the surrounding they are and how much they do influence their surrounding. In this blog serie I want to present some of my paintings in their new home.
Diese beiden Bilder – und noch einige mehr – durften mit nach Spanien umziehen. / Here are two paintings – out of some more – that were allowed to make the move to Spain.
Small painting on a board
Bringing sun into the room
Dialog with an easy chair
“Die Fülle” at a working place
Another corner – old mirror accompanied by two paintings
Esta pagina tiene Google-Translate en la barra lateral
I had to reorganize my studio – space was needed, a disturbing problem with many artist studios. So this was my opportunity to undertake a serious inspection of my collection of paintings. Some made me smile, they are still dear old friends and it was a very warm reconnection. Some clearly didn’t pass the check. I build a nice staple of “ready to be re-worked again”.
Reworking a painting is a tricky task. In the end it asks for a lot of boldness, courage and “letting go”. But paintings on this staple are not all boring but have some very nice parts. So I am tempted to “save” these parts – against all experience that for me and my style of painting it is nearly impossible to create an authentic, lively and balanced abstract work while trying to save some parts. Working on an older painting of course keeps also some risk: You never know if you will manage to make it a better painting despite all your work…..so the question, did I succeed?
As an abstract painter I work with many layers to create depth in a painting without constructing something like a perspective. So working on an older work is interesting as it always has in store already quite some layers and if I don’t whiten the whole painting the previous painting will speak through the new layers. Here I show you some of my re-worked paintings of the last months. Do you see the connection?
Tapp to enlarge.
Metamorphosis (50x50cm)
Wonderflowers blooming always (50x50cm)
“Metamorphosis” had already gone through some changes, but I was not too pleased with the result. So after some months I said “Good bye” to the Metamorphosis and it developed into a “Wonder Flower”. This one I did without trying to “save” parts, but elder parts very nicely fit with the newer parts.
Tapp to enlarge.
Vancouver service stree – before
Dreaming under water 120×80 cm
The “Vancouver service street” holds nice memories but it lost in the “survival of the best”. It has undergone a very bold change. You see the influence of the under laying layers? How do they influence the new composition?
Tapp to enlarge.
Crete – Landscape
Waterfall 120x90x2 cm
This one gave me a hard time as I liked so many featured in it but never could sort out how to make it a complete painting. So I loved it and I hated it. I started this work in Tuscany, where I spend several summer painting. Definitely I was in love with the upper part. I fought to keep the red one, but it turned out to look like a big whale…so it had to go, so sorry dear red! Here you see, which parts survived and which not.
Tapp to enlarge.
Spring exploding (old)
Spring exploding (140×100 cm)
These is also a painting from my “Fluid Periode” which I looked at and I liked it but never felt it was finished. But as I liked the flow and the style and the colours , I didn’t want to destroy it, so I did only little changes, like deepening some darker parts, darken with a pink the very light part at the left and interrupt the light horizontal part by taking down a little bit the green. Very small differences that made a notable difference to me. Now it has become a harmonic painting for my taste. What do you think?
If you want to see more changes – look at these paintings in a room!
Tapp to enlarge!
If you want to see more paintings in a room , tapp here!
The Waterfall in a room 1
Dreaming under Water in a room 1
The Waterfall in a room 2
The Waterfall in a room 3
Dreaming under Water in a room 2
Dreaming under Water in a room 3
Wonder flowers in a Room 1
Wonder flowers in a room 2
Spring explosion over red sofa
Spring explosion over bed
Spring explosion over blue sofa
If you want to see more paintings in a room, tapp here!
Newsletter
Time by time I am sending out a newsletter. I inform about new artworks, I have made, I give some insights into my studio work and information about exhibitions and artists friends, that I like. I would be happy to include you. So please leave your address, if you are interested. You can cancle the it any moment you want!
Just right for the Christmas time I am invited to my 9th exhibition this year…..I am happy to participate in an exhibition that was set up by a truly dedicated man to art: Rafael Fernandez Pacheco. We met at the ART WALK Cómpeta (which will start this year at Easter Saturday!) and ever since, I am following Rafael on Facebook. Gives me a great insight into the art at the coast. It feels as if he is visiting and writing about two to three exhibitions a day – wonder when he ever sleeps.
I was so lucky to participate with 5 of my paintings. My artist colleague Anouk Slegers from Costa del Arte Collective participated as well. Estaba tan feliz de participar con 5 pinturas.
Click on photo to enlarge.
Dancing with the flowers – Medium format –
Art Gallery van Gestel -Playtime, 81×65 cm
at the inauguration
nice sculpture in front
Think big – dream in color 160×140 cm
Art Gallery van Gestel – Thinking of Sant Tropez – Medium format
not available . In love with yellow – Medium format
20 Artists are exhibiting in a cultural center of Las Lagunas, Mijas Costa. There is wonderful art in a wonderful room to be seen till 07.01.19! I am happy to be invites into this group of manly Spanish artists in a great mix with Ex-Pats artists. Have a look. I will add more photos.
20 artistas están exhibiendo en un centro cultural de Las Lagunas, Mijas Costa. ¡Hay arte maravilloso en una habitación maravillosa para ser visto hasta el 07.01.19! Estoy feliz de ser invitado a este grupo de artistas masculinos españoles en una gran mezcla con artistas de Ex-Pats. Echar un vistazo. Añadiré más fotos.
SALIDA DEL SOL: Festival of the Performing and Visual arts started today, 01.10. in La Cala de Mijas!
Art exhibition and Soirées every day till 08.10.18 in La Cala, Mijas, in the Avanto Restaurant. Come and see my paintings and the art exhibition with works of 12 international artists. Every evening there will be a great performance: Music, dance, opera, fashion show and more. Read all about it at the bottom of this page!
Sunday, the 16th of September we celebrated the Finissage of the first exhibition of Costa del Arte Collective in the Galeria Luz de la Vida in Cómpeta. We had put together a program for the whole day, so people coming up from the coast could enjoy a day with Art, Food and Music. We had a fantastic press cover, both in the German and the English press and our visitors enjoyed the “lazy Sunday lunch” in the Finca de las Sierras and our Finissage with great art of the Costa del Arte Collective, talked to the artists and enjoyed the impressing music of Duo Masque! Just dip in and listen for a while to Russel and Chrissy !
Huge Press Attention
The Costa del Arte Collective got a lot of attention in the social media and the English and German press:
Costa del Sol Nachrichten
Galeria Luz de la Vida
Deutsche SUR
English SUR
Deutsche SUR
A very personal press attention I got in
SPANIEN AKTUELL!
Aktuell Spanien Oktober
Featured in Aktuell Spanien
Great thanks to Marga Lange, who got in touch with my art and my way of becoming an artist!
To read more just visit the online edition from SPANIEN AKTUELL!
Besuchen Sie die online Version von SPANIEN AKTUELL HIER
More Art and Music in the Air!
Next exhibition starting Monday, 1st of October at
“Salida del Sol” Festival of Music and Visual Arts!
The next event is already taking a lot of my attention and it is waiting for you! Together with two members of the Costa del Arte Collective, Anouk Slegers and Lieuwke Loth, I will exhibit in the Art and Music Festival Salida del Sol, taking place in the Avanto Theater from 01.-08.10.18 in Cala de Mijas! Don’t miss it! Is is a unique combination of different branches of art, dance, music and literature!
Last Monday we started with the installation of the art show. Works of the members of Costa del Arte Collective will be to be seen from 01.10. till 08.10.18 from 11:00 to 18:00 hours. Twelve international artists will present their art. The visit of the art exhibition is free. There is a special offer for coffee and cake from the Avanto Restaurant at 16:00 hours at the time, when also artists will be present.
Preparing for the exhibition: Works of the members of Costa del Arte Collective. Exhibiting Lieuwke Loth, Anouk Slegers and
Gerrit Oppelland-Hampel
Done. Ready for the art show!
Very interesting program every evening! Music and Art, Dance, Literature and more!
Check out the program here for detailed information about the evening events here on Salida del Sol,
scroll down to see the list of participating artists and click on their names to reach their websites !
Hope to see you there!!! Freue mich, Sie dort zu sehen!
Information (German) you also find here: SPANIEN AKTUELL
SPANIEN AKTUELL finden Sie als Print Ausgabe an verschiedenen Verteilerstellen. Das Magazin ist kostenlos und erscheint monatlich. Der online Kalender informiert über viele Veranstaltungen an der Costa del Sol.
A painting is a very powerful instrument to give spirit and life to your office or home. Depending on style, color and size it “makes”the room or it adds kind of statement, that you want to make. A painting as well reveals a bit about your personality. A painting in your room is what the eyes are in the face: they attract because they are speaking, they can hide something and they can reveal something about your mood, your spirit, your personality.
Two paintings, that “make” the entrance hall of an Apartment Hotel in Bonn
Wood 1 and Wood 2 were inspired by a holiday I spend on the Darß – a peninsular in the Baltic sea. Riding with the bicycle through the endless woods at the coast with its thousands of rather straight trees and the changing lights impressed me a lot.
Wood 1
Wood 1 still in the studio
Wood 2
Now these large paintings (145×160 cm and 160×145 cm) are the lead theme for the design of this entrance hall of the Apartment Hotel Kaiser Karl in Bonn. They add some charme and character to the hall and they clearly give the mission to the visitors, that this is not a simple business place but a house with personality and individuality.
Giving character to the hotel lounge
Giving character to the hotel lounge
The Breakfast place with Wood 2
Old mirror accompanied by two paintings in a hotel
If you are in Bonn, feel free to visit the hotel. The staff will be happy to show you my paintings. You will find more in a permanent exhibition of paintings by me on the souterrain. I found this photos and hotel information at Hotel.com Kaiser-Karl-Apartmenthotel
The summer invites me to leave behind some routines in order to create room for new things. As I have some time, paintings are all gone to two upcoming exhibitions, I decided to abstain from my most loved colors blue and turquois and from licorice. I had fallen in love with yellow – the experiment is thrilling but a true exercise in selfdiscipline – to abstaine from my familiar way of working is a challange. With licorice I was not very successful.
Der Sommer lädt mich ein, Routinen und Ziele zu verlassen und so Raum für Neues zu schaffen. Da ich Zeit habe – die Gemälde sind schon alle unterwegs zu zwei neuen Ausstellungen – nahm ich mir vor Abstand zu nehmen von meinen Lieblingsfarben blau und türkis und von Lakritz. Ich hatte mich in Gelb verliebt – das Experiment ist spannend aber auch eine Übung in Selbstdisziplin! Mit der Lakritz war ich nicht so erfolgreich 🙁 .
El verano me invita a dejar algunas rutinas para crear espacio para cosas nuevas.Así que decidí abstenerme de mis colores más queridos azul y turquesa y de regaliz.Me enamoré del amarillo -el experimento es emocionante pero un verdadero ejercicio de autodisciplina- abstenerme de mi manera familiar de trabajar es un desafío.Con regaliz no tuve mucho éxito.:-)
Thinking of Saint Tropez 81×65 cm
not available . In love with yellow – Medium format
Getting ready, transportation of a lot of paintings, preparing the room that I shared with the photographer Nikki de Gruchy, meeting many fellow artists, for four days receiving a lot of visitors from different countries and many good friends, walking through the narrow streets and on the steep stairs of Cómpeta: what a lot of impressions to take in! Now looking back I can say, it was a great event and I am very happy I was a part of it! And very lucky that I had a lot of support! Many thanks to Lieuwke Loth and the team to making this Art Walk Cómpeta possible! Now already looking forward to the Open Studios of Gaucín!
Preparándose, transporte de una gran cantidad de pintura, preparando la habitación que compartí con la fotógrafa Nikki de Gruchy, conociendo a muchos artistas, para cuatro dias recibiendo muchos visitantes de diferentes países y buenos amigos, caminando por las calles estrechas y en las empinadas escaleras de Cómpeta: ¡cuántas impresiones! Ahora mirando hacia atrás puedo decir que es un gran evento y estoy mucha suerte que podría asistir, mucha suerte, ¡eso tuvo mucho apoyo!¡Muchas gracias a Lieuwke Loth y al equipo por hacer este Art Walk Cómpeta posible! ¡Ahora comienza la preparación para los Open Studios de Gaucín!
Intensive Vorbereitung, der Transport von vielen und auch großen Bildern, das Herrichten des Raumes, den ich mit der Fotografin Nikki de Gruchy teilte, in dem sich Stühle und Tische stapelten, Bilder aufhängen, eine große Anzahl Kunstkollegen kennen zu lernen, Besucher aus unterschiedlichen Ländern empfangen und gute Freunde, durch die engen Gassen und über die steilen Treppen von Cómpeta zu wandern – wirklich viele Eindrücke, die ich gesammelt habe. Im Rückblick kann ich sagen: Es war eine großartige Veranstaltung und ich bin glücklich, dass ich dabei sein konnte! Und sehr dankbar, dass ich so gute Unterstützung hatte! Ganz großen Dank an Lieuwke Loth und ihr Team, dass sie diesen fantastischen Art Walk Cómpeta möglich gemacht hat!
Jetzt geht’s zur Vorbereitung auf die Ausstellung in den Open Studios von Gaucín!
I have worked on many small canvases and now I was really looking for a challenge : 140 x 160 cm! A format that hardly has room in my little studio! But a pleasure of freedom. And since long I could do it all from the very beginning! I hope I can exhibit this at ART WALK COMPETA in which I will be part of! Hopefully the room will be big enough! Hope to see you there (31.03./01.04.04 and 03./04.04.18)
He trabajado en muchos quadros pequeños y ahora realmente estaba buscando un desafío: ¡140 x 160 cm! ¡Un formato que apenas tiene espacio en mi pequeño estudio! Pero un placer de libertad. ¡Y desde hace mucho tiempo puedo hacerlo todo desde el principio! ¡Espero poder exhibir esto en ART WALK COMPETA en el cual seré parte! ¡Espero que la habitación sea lo suficientemente grande! Espero verte allí (31.03./01.04.04 y 03./04.04.18)
checking the qualitiy
Work has to be checked
putting the base color
and basic colors
to start with
work in progress
work in progress
a little break
Chinese Market 160×140 cm
You find more about Art Walk Cómpeta 2017 here and my former exhibition here!
I received an email from Saatchi: Congratulations, you sold your artwork! As it came in the night at 1 a.m., my sleep got a bit disturbed, so many things to think about! How to manage the transport, that in a way the Gallery takes good care off, in another not. The Gallery will take responsibility for the transport – the artist for the packing! Now this artwork is quite large, 100 x 150 cm, nothing you can just roll up or put into an envelope! No, it had to be sent in a crate and it had to be declared at the customs, in order to be allowed to leave the European Union! The latter a mystic work that even good friends resisted to help with, as they knew, it was an art in itself. All artworks over 950 EURO are rated as important cultural goods!!! And on top of this: everything should be done quickly, as the buyer is waiting for it. That’s quite a challange in itself, but an even more demanding challange for somebody who is in Spain, some medical teatment ahead, that will keep him in Spain for weeks and the painting is far away in Germany!
But nevertheless, I am happy to say: With a little help from my friends, better to say with a lot of help from my friends and some substantial professional help the artwork made its way to California! Cross my fingers that the professionally built crate has made the journey safe and sound without any bruises to the painting and that the buyers and the artwork feel happy with eachother!
Die Mail kam nachts um 1 Uhr – das ist Los Angeles Arbeitszeit – mein Schlaf war danach erst mal ziemlich gestört. In der Email von Saatchi stand: Gratulation, Sie haben ein Kunstwerk verkauft! Tausend Gedanken schossen mir durch den Kopf, was gab es alles zu tun und zu regeln! Wie kann man den Transport sicher stellen, für den die Galerie auf einer Seite die Verantwortung übernimmt – aber die Künstler sorgen für die sorgfältige und sachgerechte Verpackung des Kunstwerkes, kein Kinderspiel! Und das fragliche Bild war recht groß – 100 x150 cm – nichts, das man einfach so zusammenrollen oder in einen Umschlag stecken kann. Nein, es muss in einer maßgeschneiderten, extra für die Kunst gebauten Holzkiste versendet und beim Zoll muss ein langes Formular ausgefüllt werden, wenn das Bild die Europäische Union verlässt. Alle Kunstwerke über 950 Euro müssen auf diese Weise ausgeführt werden – wichtige Kulturgüter!
Diesen undurchschaubaren bürokratischen Akt zu übernehmen, davon konnte ich niemand überzeugen. Die Kunden warteten schon auf ihr Bild, es sollte auch alles ganz schnell gehen. Das an sich ist schon eine rechte Herausforderung – aber erst recht, wenn das Bild in Deutschland und die Künstlerin in Spanien ist und dort auch bleiben muss, weil die Umstände es verlangen!
Aber trotz aller Umstände: Es ist vollbracht! “With a little help from my friends”, oder besser gesagt: mit einer Menge Hilfe von meinen Freunden und professioneller Hilfe hat das Kunstwerk seinen Weg nach Kalifornien geschafft! Ich drücke alle Daumen, dass die wunderbar gefertigte Transportkiste sicher gestellt hat, dass es seine Reise unbeschadet überstanden hat und dass das Bild und die neuen Besitzer glücklich miteinander sind!
Open Thursday to Friday and Saturday. Talk with the artists Friday, 07.07.17 from 19:00 – 21:00 hours.
