Artistic journey

A world of colors and shapes

After years of sketching, painting plein air and working with oils and acrylics, I suddenly lost interest in traditional motifs such as seascapes and landscapes. The world of pure colors and concrete art, characterized by shapes, differentiations, spaces, dots and lines, detached from classic design motifs, captivated me and had a lasting impact on my life.

Inspired by the works of great masters such as Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee as well as modern contemporary artists, I deepened my knowledge and skills. Professor Hans Herman was particularly influential, whose teaching methods opened up a completely new dimension for me.

While painting, I lost myself in colors and shapes. It seemed as if they were manifesting themselves and I entered a new, unknown dimension of artistic expression.

The development of shapes

The pictures I paint today are created by the colors I previously put on the canvas. The shapes develop from the colors, not from my imagination or observation of nature. By constantly working and rotating the images, I eventually reach a point where I discover the contours and real forms of life – be it a house, a tree or a bird.

My works consist of about 80 to 90 percent bright, translucent colors and shapes. The clear, defined shapes of people or objects make up only 10 to 3 percent. This mixture of abstraction and reality stimulates the imagination and connects the viewer with reality in a special way. Like Emil Nolde, I paint in colors until it is time to work out the shapes and objects.

The fascination of watercolor painting

Watercolor painting, be it monochrome or coloristic, has always fascinated me with the dynamic effect of light and darkness. For me, this reflects the spiritual life behind all things, whether organic or inorganic.

Watercolor – this unique and fascinating medium – has accompanied me throughout my life. I experienced a particularly inspiring interlude through Japanese painting. Its strict discipline and the special technique of brushwork gave my motifs a unique character.

Developing an individual handwriting and style of my own required a lot of time and patience. The translucent quality of the pigments and the differentiation of the shades in traditional and modern watercolors impressed me deeply.

Personal influences and inspirations

My artistic development was influenced by many people and situations. Particularly important to me were the few teachers whose absolute mastery inspired me.

A significant part of my journey was the adoption of our sons Julian and Antonio. Before the adoption, I painted numerous portraits and sometimes I had the feeling that I could already recognize the features of my future children in the pictures.

I firmly believe that behind every object, every scene and every person there is a spiritual, religious reality hidden. It is not about painting the object itself, but capturing the mood and spirit behind it.