Friday art: Hydrangeas in winter

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us. 

Henri Matisse

A recent tryptich on canvas  fresh from my studio. It combines winter fog and caribean blue and green with one of my fave flowers: Hydrangeas. To me they are beautiful in every^stage of their life - just like a real good woman - ha ha! 

Have you scheduled  anything nice yet for your weekend? I'm planning on a visit to a real gorgeous spa with my hubby, to just let go and relax - and make the best of a November, that turned out really grey here in Germany.

Paintings: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday art: Feeling blue

There is no blue without yellow and without orange. 

Vincent Van Gogh 

Lots of blue notes in my studio these days, given that i'm a pink and red person normally! But sometimes i crave blue. That magical blue you sometimes see in your window, just before evening.  Blue can be deep and dreamy but also very comforting and relaxing.  What's your favorite color at the moment?

Photos and paintings: Martina  Voigt-Schmid

P.S.: You can now buy prints of my paintings here .
If you enter this code, you get free shipping until Oct. 14th.

Friday art: Spring rain

Let the sunshine in!

Dear April, although i've got a very nice new umbrella, i'd love to pack it away until autumn and wear my equally new pink ballerinas. Rain is lovely sometimes, but look, we've been waiting so long now, can you PLEASE let the sun shine a little bit? Cheers to a sunny and lovely weekend friends, i so want to have tea with you outside!

Photos: Eitan Vitkon (photographed by me at "art Karlsruhe")

Friday Art: Takeaway sweetness!

These flowers taste good!

A little DIY project from our recent issue of KidsLife, that will go into print now - and one of my fave pictures, featuring a dress i hope to be wearing soon! It's really warming up in our corner of the world now and i hope for a sunny weekend and days to come. I'll take a lil' break from blogging, as i will be away on a trip to Berlin next week. I'll meet my brother Alex and my gorgeous friend, actress Sophie Sutton from NYC - lots of girly giggles and fun guaranteed! I'm soooooo ready for a little vacation, especially since we'll stay home over easter.

Have a sweet time flowers - will come by and visit you over the weekend.

Photo: Robin Benito, Model: Juli Gaston

Doggy Paintings

 

3 dogs are better than one ...

Right?  Friends of mine comissioned me to do portraits of their dogs - the one they keep now and the ones who have already passed away. Like a little family pet gallery for the house -  fun project which i had never done before. These 3 characters are no "fancy" dogs like the puggies in the post below, but mixed breeds, one of them being picked up on a beach in portugal.  Below, you see a photo of Mina, the middle dog. Wich one of these is your favorite? 

Photo and paintings: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday art: Sunshine and snow

Sunshine and snow, 

spring dancing with winter, waltzing over the fields and having some fun together, icy but lovely. Beautiful light in the room is so good for painting - and for anything else. Isn't it stunning, how our mood changes with the light? At least mine does ;)

We don't have snow here today, but lovely, almost springlike sunshine. I've put the christmas-deco away, exept fo some fairy lights, and will buy some fresh flowers tomorrow. How did your new year start so far? For me, it was a mix of being quite busy and feeling quite tired - i look forward to a relaxed weekend and wish you a bright and cheerful time ahead!

Flowers in snow photos: Fotolia.com, Painting photo: MVS

Friday Art: New collage paintings

Fresh from the studio: some new little canvases in a mix of acryllics and collaged parts of vintage books and papers - the first one got sold already! I hope to present some of my smaller works and prints in a little online art-shop soon and hope to find time to work on that "between the years".

How's your christmas preparations going so far?  I hope to accomplish most things over the weekend and just take it easy. After a very busy year, i feel a great need to slow down and let go and allow for some me-time. Happy 4th of advent dolls - will come round for tea and coockies and see what you've been up to!

Photos and artwork: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday art: Shoes for you!

Put on your red shoes ...

... and dance the blues! Shoes are such nice little objects of desire - they express personality and style. The shape of beautiful shoes always inspires me, and time after time i get back to painting some of them. Especially those i can't wear. High-heeled Stilettos are so chic - but mostly to painful to dance in - what a pity!

I have 3 more shoe paintings at work now and hope to get on with them over the weekend. Keep warm and cozy lovelies (for those who reside in winterland, like me!)  A beautiful shade of red always helps me to feel warmer imediately - on canvas, on bedsheets, on something to wear - give it a try!

Painting: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday Art: Love the moment!

Colored leaves come flying down

like rain - our garden is filled with a soft yellow carpet that hides the green. Meanwhile i play with my new camera and with my new wellies and with soft november clouds hanging low in the mornings - such fun to sit on them and fly of to work!

Today is 11-11-2011. I'm planning to meditate with friends at 11.11 pm CET  to envision peace on earth. Thousands of people are meditating today, so, if you feel like joying in, be welcome! I think this time is very auspicious - much tension but also much hope. It's a full moon as well, and the witches say, full moons are the best times to make a wish come true ...

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday art: Painted fashion

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness" 

John Keats

Some collaborative painted fashion pictures by me and my friend Andrea. They were not done in fall, but to me, they fit really well into this seasons color scheme, and the silver dots might as well be raindrops or autumn mist. Are you ready for the weekend like i am? I so look forward to painting, walking, reading and some "dolce far niente", all surrounded by golden leaves!

Friday art: Nostalgia

Hello, my lovelies, somehow, my mac is not working the way it should - everything is so slow and i don't get access to all of my files - so, i'm showing you some paintings from last winter. 

I called this series "Nostalgia", for they are a reminiscense of times past, but also, of memories and of visiting places in the mind, a dreamlike state between things lost and things yet to be aquired ... These colors of golden yellow, smokey grey and purple so remind me of the ones i see outside now. What are you dreaming of these days?

Paintings: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday Art: Doggy painting

I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.
Jackson Pollock 

This is a quote that shows much about the spirit of collaborative art. One has to trust the other, to do the right thing - not always easy, but full of discovereies and surprises. This weekend, i'll participate in open studio event at my friends house. That friend i do collaborative art with from time to time - Andrea. Among the things shown will be the dogy-painting you see above.  It's foggy fall weather today and i feel like having a rest, cook soup, bake apple-pie ... but all this will have to wait until sunday.  Hope you're all have a cozy time - will come round for tea!

Friday Art: Little fall painting

 

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  

George Eliot

Fall is pretty here this year - we still have sunshine and beautiful, crisp light. This week is a very busy one for me, so forgive me if i'm a little lazy blogging. Any plans yet for the weekend?  I'll be mostly working, but hope to squeeze in a few fun things as well. And i'll sleeeeeeeep in and have late breakfasts, and  - i'll visit all of you - promise!

Painting and photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday art: Art journal pages

Bloom!

Is my "theme" for 2011 and these 2 pictures from an older art journal seem to resonate with that. I'm currently working on a new set of canvases, currently covered in a golden yellow, and am so happy, that the sun is still warm and lovely around here. Light is so important for painting, and best of all, natural light. But light is vital for our emotional life as well. Did you notice, how many people are smiling, on a fine, sunny day? I hope the sun will be smiling on all of us this weekend!

Friday art: Take a break!

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
Guillaume Apollinaire 

Friday art this time means art of living. I just love this quote by apollinaire - it's so funny and at the same time - true! Happiness is there in the appreciation of the smallest things. In the creamy texture of colors on my plate, in the fresh smell of mint leaves in my drink of raspberry sirup and water. Even a gulp of air can make you happy, if you take time to perceive it and savour it. 

Ah, it's friday my lovelies, and that alone is a reason to celebrate. I'm going through a time, were so many things call for attention every day and time itself seems to slip away like a slippery ocean creature. And i - want to do so many things but at the same time i feel lazy and dream of lying on a sandy beach... does that sound crazy?

Photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday Art: Raspberry treat

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?
Albert Einstein 

Hmmmm - a bit of sunshine, lovely friends, a hug, flowers, chocolate? Whatever you need to be happy, i hope you'll get plenty of it over the weekend! 

I have planned: A stroll over the fleamarket along the river, an art exibition, portuguese food hopefully enjoyed sitting outside, and sunday - just some time to catch up with myself!

Photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday Art: Blueberries and more!

Have a blueberry - and know that you are loved!

This week was crazy - it flew by, things kept me on my toes all the time and i felt a bit "out of it".  I have the feeling, that for some of you, it was just the same, with holidays coming to an end, jobs starting, and a lot of hustle and bustle! This weekend, i've scheduled some much needed "Me-time" - which is also time to go visit you and see what you've been up to.  

Have a happy, relaxed, gorgeous weekend, and see you soon!

Collage/Painting and photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday art: Macaroon prints

The pursuit of perfection, then, is the pursuit of sweetness and light.
Matthew Arnold  

Weekend is almost here! I'm still half on vacation, sitting in the garden doing illustrations for a little carneval-book. These whimsical prints however, are by Lucilles kitchen - and can be bought on Etsy. I found them so sweet and inspiring with the handwriting on silver Ladurée print. Hope your August weekend is happy, golden and filled with summer fun!

Prints: Lucilles kitchen

Friday Art: Meet Giselle

"One must act in painting as in life, directly."
Pablo Picasso

This black and yellow lady named "Giselle", is another example of collaborative art between me and my friend Andrea König, me doing the painting part, and her overlaying the whole picture with a mysterious cobweb of tiny silver dots and typographie in crayon. We've done quite a lot of work together over the years, and i've set up a special blog to showcase it. If you want to see more, you can do that here.

Have a most gorgeous weekend, filled with treats, fun and love -  and and let's make the best of summer! 

Painting: Martina Voigt Schmid, Andrea König