Have a very ...



Dear Blogfriends,

thank you all for an incredibly inspiring year of friendship, inspiration and happy surprises!
Thank you for connecting here with me and sharing so many things. The great thing about blogging is, that it helps me being in touch with that part in myself which is happy and upbeat, even if cold winds are blowing right into my face sometimes. 

Time flew by and i can't believe that 12 months have passed, but i did find the energy to find the groove with my art again, which i'm really grateful for. The end of this year has been really intense and remains so, since, right after christmas, which we will spend in Austria with my family. we are moving house. I'm exited of course, but it will be so much work that this is my last post for this year.

I wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas and enough time to relax, enjoy yourselves and prepare 
for 2014. I've created the card above for you - you can download it and use it as an E-Card for the holiday season if you wish. See you all back soon,

Love,
M.

Art at the Chateau Biebrich - you are welcome!


 „Elderflower Lady“,  90 x 100,  MVS



Sousaphonspieler,  100 x 140 cm, B. B. Gerlach




Schloss (Chateau) Biebrich, built between 1700 ad 1750 was the baroque residence of the princes and dukes of Nassau, along the shores of the Rhine river in Wiesbaden. It has a gorgeous Park and  today its used mainly by the government of Hessen. It is a great venue for weddings and grand receptions and also hosts a beautiful restaurant and cafe.



You are invited!

Join us at the opening of the current exhibition at Schloss Biebrich,
Saturday, 14th December 2013 at 5 pm

Paintings by
and

accompanied by Music from the „RHEINGAU - JAZZ - KRÄNZCHEN“.
Speaking at the reception: Frau Dr. Eva Wodarz-Eichner

We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition with a glass of Champagne!

Restaurant Schloss Biebrich
Rheingaustraße 140
65203 Wiesbaden-Biebrich
Telefon:  0611-724 44 81


If you live by close enough to make it, 
we'll be delighted to see you lovelies! 

Fashion portrait


One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a little black dress!
Karl Kagerfeld

I'm currently working on more fashion illustrations and portraiture art, playing with a combination of figures and backgrounds mixed together in a whimsical style. Here, i've put Franca Sozzani, editor in chief of VOGUE Italy, in a little square in a town i love, named Finale Ligure.
 I love her style and her way of looking fabulously refined and "en vogue", but girlish and casual at the same time.

So, since it is icy cold here today and the garden is frozen, this work brought back italian sunshine and dolce vita - how fitting, that we had lunch in an italian restaurant today, for which i do some brand-design.

Excuse my slowness in posting and commenting at the moment, but things and friends around here demand more of my attention at the moment, plus my energy is somehow a little mellow, as winter kicks in. The next thing i'll show you here will ne a freebie for christmas season. Can you believe it is coming so close now?

P.S.: Since i started on my little fashion illustration series, i've had a number of requests to do custom portraits - which i love doing. Should you be interested as well, drop me a note!

Artwork: Martine Voigt Schmid


Pink is always a good idea!



You know how i always dreamed of having my own 
fabric collection for the home 
- now i've started working on some designs, using elements and inspiration from my paintings. I'm exited! 

It's fun to launch out into something new, yet it is also challenging. Not everything that looks good on canvas, works on fabrics, pillows, bags and so on. Am so curious to know what you think of these things listed in my shop here

In case you have a word with the christmas fairy - This weekend, there is
free shipping on all orders if you click on this Link

I'd be happy if you spread the word. Feel free to copy the pix and links from this post. 
 Have a super weekend and see you all soon !

Monday Love: Fall Treasures






Fall is called fall because things are falling ... 
and changing ... leaves and fruits are changing color and are being tossed about and shaken of by the wind. And if we are lucky and keep our eyes ope, we can find things - to collect, to enjoy, to look at, to save up for the winter. These are some things that caught my eyes lately. 

The first picture show homemade apple chips i've been making -  a delightful and healthy snack for when you crave something sweet. They are perfectly easy - see the recipe here.

Hope this week gets up to something delightful for all of us.
Grey can be chic and November can be a happy - 
it's all about how you look at things!

Photos: Martine Voigt


Ulyana in Paris


Stepping out  ... with glamour, with candor and a good dose of "joie de vivre". 

How was your weekend dear ones?  Mine was cozy and lovely. Saturday was so warm, that we could have coffee outside, wearing nothing but a T-shirt. Saturday brought on a lot of wind and leaves and nuts were falling down from the trees. Besides eating a lot of good food, taking walks and just cocooning i've  been working on another fashion illustration, this time featuring a street stylee from Ulyana Sergeenko.
 I love how she combines a glamorous cape and salmon pink heels to an all jeans outfit here. And how she steps out in those heels - tee hee - must work on that a little still! Have a super start into your week - and should the last days of october ruffle your leaves a little - let them fly with the wind!

Illustration: Martine Voigt

Fall queen


A new painting from a red series i did, mixed-media on canvas. I called this one "Fall Queen", because it captures the royal abundance and yet the simple quietness of this time of year and also of a certain time of life ...
Cheers to a super new week - let's celebrate octobers golden grapes and silver cobwebs - am grateful for your friendship and support

Celebrate fall


Celebrate fall, by taking a long walk this weekend, By revelling on colors, light and smell, 

... which are all so abundant this time of year. Who need aroma-therapy of you can have this? 

I really do need some time out this weekend, for the last 10 days or so have ben crazy and very strenuous. I had to travel to Austria, because my dad got very sick but, after we all thought we had to say good bye to him, he surprised us with  a sudden boost of recovery. He's breathing again, eating and making grumpy remarks about the hospital food and all this proves to me once more, that miracles are possible! 
Hope life is good for all of you and am sending you Sunshine!

Painting: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Barbara in Paris





A fashion illustration i did last week of Barbara von Enger, walking the streets of Paris. Barbara is a painter as well as a hot fashion muse and her unique mix of  haute couture, vintage treasures, hip hop style and caribbean spirit is often photographed and posted by style bloggers, like Fred from "Easy fashion" and magazines such as VOGUE Italy 

The look i was drawing inspired me, because - yes, i love red and pink and her sleek, relaxed way of wearing it, as well as the way she carries her Baguette - like a Baguette-bag from Fendi!
Hope it adds a little french "Oh la la" to your day - can you smell café au laid and a warm croissant?

Drawing: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Sweet remedy for Chocoholics





Rainy fall days with rain, that never stops and some chill in the air - what do they spell? Yes - CHOCOLATE! 

I started experimenting with making my own Truffles last winter, when my older son had a design-project going around chocolate - and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Now friends keep asking me for more and i decides to start making them again. They are very dark, very energizing and - they just seem to give body and soul a little extra energy.

The good news: a bit of chocolate every day is actually good for your health - if it is real, around 75% cocoa. It is good for the heart, for the brain, has a lot of antioxidants - read more about it here.
And than ....follow the recipe here (i used the bittersweet one) and put a smile on everyones face.

Have a sweet weekend everyone!

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Say Yes!



Say Yes because - did you notice? Yes is always stronger! 
The Yes painting, along with some vintage shopping treasures: a pair of handmade shoes from Venice and a funny little Pola dot-bag that adds a little fun to any outfit. 
Am looking forward to a leisurely sunday with a long family brunch and more painting time later.
Cheers to a lovely day - and to a bright and fabulous Yes week!

Painting and photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid


Make fall fun - with fashion!




To me, fashion is like a hobby. It is light and playful, and when i'm too tired to concentrate on anything serious, but too awake to do nothing, i like to browse through my wardrobe to put together new combinations or try on new things i bought in various ways. 

Fashion is a bit like a game, because it reminds me of, when i was a kid, how i loved to put outfits together for my Barbie-Dolls. Yet it is important too, because when you find the ideal dress for a certain occasion - or just for everyday too - it  makes you feel stronger and more beautiful. It can be defining for the way, others perceive you, plus it is so nice to walk around town and see people, who make an effort with the way  they dress - crazy is better than boring in my eyes ;) 

These are some pix from the fashion blog Nobody knows Marc  recently discovered. The first and the last image show impressions of Russian fashion designer and photographer Ulyana Sergeenko  who is really a master in creating a strong X-factor with her clothing. Her outfits are always fantastic and always ladylike with a twist - like someone who walks just out of the wonderful russian fairytales a loved when i was little.

Have a fun sunday everyone - am sending you autumn sun!


The Golden Lemon



Spice it up!

A new little lemon collage painting, mixed media and vintage paper, scribbled over by my artistic grandmother.. I called it the Golden Lemon, because - the background here is golden.

 I discovered this metallic paint and went a little crazy with it, covering several canvases with its subtle, golden glow. I love it, because i paint in layers and the gold is a little transparent to let shine through, what is underneath, yet it adds a certain structure and "body" to the painting. And i think yellow and gold is a great combination anyway. 

"The Golden Lemon" here in germany is something not so nice - a prize for the worst piece of architecture - tee her, please forget about this, while looking at my post!
Hope your week starts out lovely - sometimes a little bit of lemon is all you need to spice it up!

Painting: Martina Voigt-Schmid, Stillife-photo via Poppytalk

Art & The Country


You come to nature with all her theories, and she knocks them all flat.

Some pix from a lovely art festival we visited recently. It was situated in a rural area around 3 houses owned by artists - with exhibition space inside and outside. You could take a long walk and discover things along the way, and, if you got hungry, there was a pig roast. grilled vegetables and many other yummy things, along with great music! It's great what people can achieve, if they work together hand in hand - with energy and imagination. OK, there was also money, thanks to a big company who used this as a somewhat unusual way to invite their clients, co-workers and customers - but, why not?

Much is going on in my life right now and i'm a little slow in blogging. Thank you so much for visiting me anyway - i'll take time this weekend, to visit you back! Cheers to a splendid time out. It still feels like summer here - let's enjoy these last weeks we can go barefoot sometimes!

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmud

Mix it up!


It's all in the mix!

Of light and shadow, of sweet and bitter, of different colors, of textures, of fabrics ... Life, like art, needs contrasts - and life, like art needs balance to find harmony and  - transform potentiall chaos into richer meaning and happiness. 

I hope, your week is going well so far - and you do manage to find the magic ingredient, that makes your day sparkle and shine. 

Above you see a new corkage painting from a series of six i've recently worked on, using vintage magazine paper, tinfoil paper from italian sweets along with other bits and pieces and some layers of acrylics and gouache. To give you a feel of the size, i've montaged it into a stillife picture i found in my archive - thanks to Lonny Magazine, they're always good for some great interior inspiration - check it out!

Painting Martina Voigt-Schmid, photo: courtesy to Lonny Mag

Art & Coffee



3 things that always brighten me up, when i have a little down phase during the day:

Bright colors - especially playing with them - like music
Fresh coffee - not much of it, but an espresso can really work magic sometimes ... and it smells so good, too!
Deep breathing - i like to stretch  with my arms up, deeply filling my lungs - yes! Every 20 minutes is good, especially during computer work.

Have a bright and lovely start to your week flowers - and  - let's dance!

The colors of happiness ...



The colors of the ocean on a sunny day are the colors of longing ...

 ... or the colors of happiness?  Of perfect summer bliss? All this green and white and blue and turquoise, speckled with gold here and there - i still see it, when i close my eyes and i hear the sounds too and i smell the warm skin with lotion on it ...
These pix were taken at the Italian Riviera some weeks earlier this year.

On saturday we're going on another trip - this time to Munich and to Austria, to see my family and celebrate my dads birthday. Hope you'll all have a very lovely time until than - i can't believe this is the last month of summer already - let's make the most of it!

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid

New flower paintings






Fresh from my studio: a little series of smaller canvases with little collage elements i've been having fun with lately.In the first picture,  To give you a feeling of the size, i've put them into a pretty styled setting from Oyoy, a danish design company worth exploring!

It's quite hot here in Germany. Many people suffer from the heat. but i do enjoy the summer feeling, including fresh, sunny morning hours and warm. tender nights. I just love to run around wearing nothing but a light dress and sandals - it makes me feel more free and easy and it inspires me tp work with colors. This weekend, i have planned nothing but more painting - and visiting the local wine feast with friends and family. What are your plans?

Paintings: Martina Voigt-Schmid
Cushions:  Oyoy

Current Art inspiration: Hilma af Klint





"I can’t go on, I’ll go on."
Hima af Kint


When i first saw photos from these paintings, browsing the pages of Vogue-magazine while waiting for a train,  i was instantly fascinated. Something in these unusual colors, in these abstract, yet organic shapes deeply impressed me, and so at home, i tried to find out more about the woman, who painted them.
"It's not every day that we are introduced to an unknown yet pioneering modern painter, but this is what's happened with the Swedish painter Hilma af Klint. A stipulation in af Klint’s will ensured that her work was not shown until well after her death. But now her work is taking the art world by storm: appearing in the Venice Biennale and now in a highly anticipated retrospective at the Hamburger Bahnhof. ArtSlant writer Parker Tilghman is convinced af Klint ultimately knew when the timing was right her visions would again resurface." Quoted from Art Slant
I hope that one day, i can see these canvases with my own eyes  - to me they look simply magical!
Meanwhile, i'm making progress with my own paintings - will show you some of it soon. Have a lovely rest of the week flowers, let the sunshine in!

Summer greetings from Italy






Some impressions from a recent trip to the Italian Riviera. These pictures were taken in a little town named "Finale Ligure, that is so beautiful. It is quiet and very alive at the same time. There are chic little boutiques in ancient pallazzi, shops that sell all kinds of delicious foods and the houses are all painted in these warm, vibrant hues that i love: soft pinks, creamy yellows, light purple, reds and greens. There are big Palm trees just in front of the turquoise meditteranian ocean and beaches filled with little stones that look like gems. We managed to be there just before the big crowd of tourists arrived, and were so lucky to enjoy space and quietness between the beaches and the hills of silvery  olive trees.

I have a dear old friend visiting at the moment, and therefore spend less time on the computer right now. I hope you all have sparkling week and are making the best of summer. Will come and visit you these days!

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid

painted fashion






When in doubt, wear red ...
Or - wear black and paint red? 

Some new picture from a sunday painting session with my art-sister Andrea König.
She's the woman, who loves to cover all her canvases in deep, bright red - a royal, impressive powerhouse of a color. 

Sometimes we do collaborative paintings - and this time i joined in by adding a mysterious, kind of seductive figure of a woman, who moves through the red, dotted with solver, as though she moves through a silver veil, while listening to her own music ...

It was fun! The painting isn't finished yet, for there will be another layer of silver dots later - i'll show you, how it proceeds.