Paintings & Flowers


 



Paintings and flowers - two of the things, that have the potential to transform a room and create a living atmosphere, that resomates with your being.


The pictures above were taken  in the house of a friend of mine, who is an interior designer and who renovated an old house with a big surrounding garden,.

It's always amazing to see my paintings in new rooms and find the ideal spot to present them. Colour is like music to me and a painting adds something like a happy sound if the place is right. In this case, the pink painting works like a bridge between outside and inside, accentuated by fresh bouquets of flowers from the garden.  

The red chandellier paintings add warmth and cozyness to the living room with the big blue sofa

The big purple Allium flowers are especially inspiring to me wether in bloom or dried up and have shown up in a number of paintings already.
 
 

My magical colour garden



I'm trying to do what I have never done - give the impression one has on entering a room: one sees everything and at the same time nothing. Pierre Bonnard
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pierre_bonnard.html
I'm trying to do what I have never done - give the impression one has on entering a room: one sees everything and at the same time nothing. Pierre Bonnard
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pierre_bonnard.html

 It is still colour, not yet light

It is still color, it is not yet light. Pierre Bonnard
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pierre_bonnard.html
I'm trying to do what I have never done - give the impression one has on entering a room: one sees everything and at the same time nothing. Pierre Bonnard
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pierre_bonnard.html
I'm trying to do what I have never done - give the impression one has on entering a room: one sees everything and at the same time nothing. Pierre Bonnard
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pierre_bonnard.html
 Dear friends, it's been a looooooong time since my last post here and i've been missing you. I was incredibly busy with the relaunch of our german parenting magazine website, KidsLife, which had to have a complete makeover. You can have a look at it here:

But of course i've also been busy working in my studio,  inspired by shapes of nature and the ongoing theme of circles. Yesterday, the morning sun opened what seemed like magical doors and windows on my canvases, and i had fun transforming myself into a colorful shadow figure, dancing through my own painted garden.

It reminded me somehow on one of the famous Ballets russes i love- l'Après midi d'un Faune - with and by the dancer Nijinski. Evoking this pantheist vision of wild and innocent nature spirit, but in an abstarct way is what has always inpired mw. I now have the idea of creating a video with my paintings, set in motion by light and shadow. Let's see what comes from it.

Hope you enjoy the ebauty of autumn to the fullest and will soon come to see what you've been up to.
Much love,
M.



Underwater sunhine



 There are two kinds of light - the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures.  James Thurber


A recent painting in soft shades that has something like a mother of pearl glow to it. Even thougn i didn't really plan on painting an "octopus garden" it looks like just that to me. Light that shines into an underwater world, where plants and sea creatures sway in a soft, iilluminated ocean breeze. It is very interesting how, when a painting is done in an intuitive way, it develops a life and a will of it's own!

How's your summer so far my lovelies? Here, it's unusually cool and even in July we need a fire or warm blankets to sit outside on most evenings.But it's quite a lovely weather to get things done and the light, filtered by clouds is good for painting.
I look forward to visit you soon, cheers to a lovely weekend!

Circle game




I'm painting circles - because life goes in circles!


This is what i've been working on in my staudio lately. Circles are abstract and yet, they have a lot of meaning. They are strong shapes, dynamic and closed at the same time. Simple shapes in many kayers leave room for colors to expamd and for the mind to conrmplate.Movement, music - yes, in many ways, colors are like music to me!

Hope, summer plays a lovely tune for you,
with love from me!


How to start your own art collection


       

Paintings of mine in the house of a collector

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life
Pablo Picasso

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. Pablo Picasso
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_art.html
Do you love art? To me, great art ist he most important thing in giving a house atmosphere and personal style. A painting is like a window that looks out into another world and adds perspective and more dimensions to your daily surroundings. A piece of art is also like a friend who makes you feel welcome, who invites you to appreciate life and look at things from a different angle. Everyone should have some art in their lives. And the best way to celebrate art is, to start your own collectiom. Collectors are happy people, they say. Have  you ever thought about it? Here are some tips to get you started.

              

Happy circles series


Look for something you love and trust your own taste.
So if you start looking for art, look for something that inspires you.t Soemthing, you want to live with, something that makes your heart sing. Something that speaks to you and makes you happy. As a beginner, it’s a mistake to buy a piece of art primarily as an investment – especially if you don’t have large sums to spend.
Be confident and learn to trust your intuition and your tase. Art is something very personal, and what is right for one person, must not be right for anpther. Don’t get intimidated by the feeling of „but i know nothing about art“. Find something you love and develop from there.



Paintings of mine in different surroundings



Make friends with the art world
 
Go to exhibitions, art galleries, art fairs and visit studios of arists you or some friends of yours might know. Art fairs are a good way too, to see, what is out there, but they can be overwhelming.  As art fairs are very hip at the moment, a lot of smaller ones are out there next tot he major ones. Andi t is here that you might make amazing and affordable finds.
Also, if you visit artists in their studio, they might make you an extra good prize.

               
 

My painter friend Sabina Wörner in her studio in Cologne with an american indian friend

  
Visiting "Fine Art" fair in Cologne

 Think about the space you have on your walls  

As a beginner, your art collection is not meant to build a new museum but for your own walls, so think about the space you have, before you step out and buy something.

Even if  art should not be seen just as a decoration of your home, it is important, that it fits in somehow. That it hast he right size and proportions for your walls, the colours and style you feel good with and that creates the atmosphere you want.
Creating a gallery wall is a good idea to showcase framed prints, drawings and smaller paintings in an unteresting mix. 
Gallery wall impressions from Pinterest

Look at originals if possible
The internet is a vast source of art – not just to look at it and learn about it, but also to buy it. It’s like a vast buffet of almost anything you can think of. While the internet is a great way to find affordable prints, special  editions and photography,  take care:
As far as original oil or acrylic paintings are concerned., there can a big difference between a photo and the actual piece of art. So, if you buy an original painting, better not buy it from a web-shop, but from an art gallery or from an artist directly. Look at the piece itself, not at the picture o fit, or you might be disappointed. 
One of my paintings in a collectors house

 Train your eyes and expand your knowledge
Training your eyes and your intuition might take years, but finding a future star is pure excitement and every art collector dreams of getting something for a bargain, that one day brings a fortune.. Slowly build up your knowlwdge on art and sometimes do some background research on the artists you like . Have they been featured in any exhibitions? Have they won any competitions or prizes? Have they been written about in any books or journals? 

Protect your artwork

Most paintings. prints and drawings are deicate  - and can quickly be damaged and thus loose value. Expensive Works on paper should ideally be framed with ultraviolet light-resistance glass.
Find more information on how to start your own fine art collection here



Happy Colours



Spring is nature’s way of saying, "Let’s party!" 
Robin Williams

Sunshine on my desk, birdsong in our garden and a mix of flowers that spreads over on to my paper.
Experomenting with bold, right colors, botanical sketches and figures painted in a more detailed and naturalistic fashion.

Easter is just around the corner now and for me it feels like a time of enewal and fresh energy. Yesterday, i saw a beautiful moon rising and i hope it brings transformation,  joyous energy and peace for all of us! Yes spring - let's party!

Morning Sun


You study, you learn, but you guard the original naivete. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.
Matisse 

Just a glimpse at what i'm working on, giving the colour room and space to expand, to breathe.While nature still shivers under cold winds, tropical shades are warming my soul. 

Recently, i've been teaching some courses, working in a mixed-media collage technique, which is womderful to work through blocks and discover your creative potential. More about this in the next post. Have a fantastic rest of the week lovelies!



Bold, Bright, Beautiful


Sometimes when I'm having a colour moment I think to myself, okay what would be the most disgusting colour to add here? Sometimes that 'disgusting' can turn out to be 'surprising' and 'completely gorgeous'. 
Angela A'Court

As spring is already "in the making" and sunshiny air mixed with birdsong floats into my rooms - my collour palette switches to brighter and softer shades too. The abstract floral paintings above are almost finished now.

And  "almost finished"often is, at least for me - the most difficult phase in getting a piece of work done. Because, adding a little bit of the wrong shape or colour, can change the whole thing. Since i'm painting from intuition, the time and the mood must be right, to achieve harmony and perfection.

Bold moves, in this case, are often the best moves, for they add a surprise moment, where something flows in, that is better than what i could have thought of.

Can this be applied to real life as well? I think so, at least, if there are descisions to make. So - be bold, bright and beautiful lovelies - the godess of luck just can't resisit you then!

The Yellow Cat Painting



What the garden whispered to me on a yellow summers day ...

A painting of my little feline friend, venturing out into the garden on a summers day. Light dappling through leaves and branches, flowers exhaling scent, petals falling down from the trees, berries glowing un the shades of rose bushes.
Tiny insects dancing in a sunny haze, a bird  singing somewhere high up. Maybe not to high, maybe aware of velvety paws approaching over an emerald lawn ...
After all this cat, dangerous to feathered friends as he might be, sometimes just liked to roll around beneath the tulips and daffodils, lazy and tipsy from all the ebautifull colours and snells that surround him.
It's still winter here in germany, but earth is preparing for spring. nd spring already started here in my studio, More glimpses of what i'm working on in my next post.



Creative Mix




Love these words by steve Jobs - so true!
Lots of things are going on in my inner and outer life now, just like in these little paperworks here!
Will tell you more about everything that happens soon and wish you some fabulous days ahead.
Remember: Creativity can be applied to all matters - and life stays fresh if you look at old things in a new way!

A fresh start


I love fresh starts like birthdays and new years, but I also love the idea that we can get up every morning and start over.

A new year, a new cycle, full of possibilities, like a white, fresh canvas ... isn't it exciting?
We had a very busy and social time around christmas and now, January seems to start kind of slowly, quietly. I am in preparation mode, still pondering about all the things i want to do. Paintings, courses, designs, a book? I believe that, when we nourish our roots, juices will rise in time, and plants will start to grow. A recent painting that fits the mood of the moment, inspired by a beautiful rose quartz i have on my desk, and and the element of water. 
Hope you're having a gentle, easy and positive start to your january and look forward to visit you soon!