working in series
I often aim to work in series with more or less clearly defined guidelines and intentions for a coherent body of work. The repeated new approach and interpretation of a theme help me create variety and depth and often leads to unexpected findings and results.
Here you find some of my later series with selected works being created within that framework.
summer serenade
summer 2024
For my first solo exhibition at Art Mora gallery, it was important to me to create a coherent body of work on a specially therefore defined theme.
The series summer serenade is a tribute to summer, celebrating the light, warmth, colors and mood of the season. A fusion of sun-drenched memories and a deep-rooted longing for those long days when life seems a little bit simpler. It is a recollection of Mediterranean summers, of life outdoors, of long evenings full of chatter and laughter, of the rich ripeness of nature, of sun-warmed stones and air filled with summer sounds...
The warm color palette, dominated by yellow, orange, red and ochre tones and the playful smaller shapes convey feelings of warmth, lightness and a child's ability to immerse in the wonder and beauty of the moment.
a perfect summer evening (top)
ink & other on cotton canvas, 36 x 60’’
sun warmed
ink & other on cotton canvas, 30 x 40
summer lightness
ink & other on raw cotton canvas, 48 x 72’’
tuscany
ink on raw cotton canvas, 48 x 48’’
sunbathing cat
ink on paper, 30 x 22’’’
soleil
ink & other on raw linen canvas, 48 x 48’’
bare soul
spring 2022 –
I'm in the process of exploring the limits of minimalism. How much color, shapes or lines does a painting need to still create its effect. In this series I leave the canvas visible and let it contribute, in addition to the slim wood frame, to the natural appearance of the painting.
The paintings should have a calm, serene aura, fit harmoniously into the context and invite the eye to a visual rest. Only at second glance, perhaps through fine details in structure, color or shape language more sophistication and something mysterious is suggested.
aqua
ink & other on raw cotton canvas, 48 x 36’’
mesmerized
ink on raw cotton canvas, 48 x 36’’
cinnamon feeling
ink & other on raw linen canvas, 48 x 36’’
aqua II
ink on raw linen canvas, 36 x 48’’
stillness I & II
ink & other on raw cotton canvas, 40 x 30’’
belonging together forever
ink & other on raw linen canvas, 60 x 30’’
dreaming big
ink & other on raw linen canvas, 40 x 30’’
sprout of hope I & II
ink & other on raw linen canvas, 30 x 24’’
l’ora blu
ink & other on raw cotton canvas, 72 x 48’’
primavera
ink & other on raw cotton canvas, 72 x 48’’
do you remember?
ink on raw cotton canvas, 56 x 28’’
longing for the sky I
ink & other on raw linen canvas, 48 x 36’’
daily sketches
ongoing
This series combines my smaller works on paper, usually colorful and experimental, exploring colors, shapes and compositions. Sometimes they stand alone sometimes they serve as playful introduction to a theme for larger formats.
Typically I work parallel on several pieces to choose the best ones when they are finished.
summer blue
matisse blue
rain & noodles
a night in august
on the river bank
a notion of aqua
greens
summer22 green
winter fir
a toad's dream
time to wrap up
seventies flashback
seventies haze
apricot mood
frenchtown
fall accents
fall-ing
umbra
lilac lanterns
my homeland
retreat
october botanicals
cuddle up & coach potatoes
new beginning
tokyo dashes
winter bare
amazonas
fluorescent fall
helen at the lido
tumeric
shanghai spring22
spring 2022
A big city in lockdown, endless days of waiting, one like the other... The repetition and uniformity of the image's content represents these long hours. The marks could stand for these lockdown days, but also for windows in a skyscraper facade, or strokes that a prisoner makes on his cell wall in order not to get lost in the flow of time.
I have consciously held back in the color scheme and the materials to symbolize the renunciation and loss of the people. The paintings are made directly on wood panels, the dots or dashes are actually negative forms, windows to the surface.
shanghai spring22 I&II
ink on wood panel, 24 x 18’’
shanghai spring22 III & IV
ink on wood panel, 10 x 10’’
soul spotting
fall 2021 - ongoing
This series remains monochromatically in a few similar shades of blue on white canvas. Those color areas vary through intensity, texture and transparency. Layers create depth and still leave the question of the sequence open. In places only the fringe of a form is left as trace of its former existence.
What is your soul color? The series is a tribute to the color blue and symbolized serenity and peace of mind, perhaps a little melancholy. Rounded shapes, as if organically grown, form a composition, in search of balance without abandoning their individual role.
soul spotting I, II & III
acrylic & other on canvas, 24 x 18’’
midnight dreams I, II & III
acrylic & other on canvas, 24 x 18’’
winter clarity
winter 2020/21
Winter 2020/21 war my first winter in New Jersey and it seemed to be an unusually tough and snowy one. For many weeks the ground was covered with snow, hiding what laid underneath. Occassionaly the surface was interrupted by little stems and grasses. This white blanket generated a tranquil landscape, beautiful and peaceful but maybe a little bit deceiving. It went well with the quiet pandemic winter.
With their reduced, muted color palette and strong marks, the paintings in this series are reminiscent of this winter impression. They are on canvas, made with mixed media and have a lot of texture and feel.
broken surface II
acrylic & other on canvas, 16 x 16’’
anchored II
acrylic & other on canvas, 20 x 16’’
flow of life
2020/21
The pandemic showed us on the one hand the fragility of life, on the other hand resilience and adaptability.
The round shapes represent basic forms of life - eggs, seeds, nuclei, maybe pebbles. Their fragility contrasts with the integrated vitality and power. They stand alone, but are in constant exchange with their neighbors.
The amazing amount of little maple seeds swirling in the air and covering the ground in spring - my first in the country - also were part of the inspiration for this series.
Impressed by nature's genius and beauty, I tried to capture the abundance and chaos of these seeds, the elegance in the air and fragility despite condensed power.
This series is characterized by these round shapes and earthy tones. It was a search for balance between shiny and matte areas, line and surface, warm and cool colors, stillness and movement
fragile
acrylic & other on canvas, 48 x 36’’
propellers of life
acrylic & other on canvas, 32 x 32’’
air & earth I, II & III
acrylic & other on wood panel, 8 x 8’’
transitions
2020
There have been a few transitions in my life over the last few years. The adventurous move to the USA at the beginning of the pandemic was certainly one of them. The whole world experienced a transformation as a result of the pandemic; on another, more personal level, the gradual detachment of my children growing up means a big change.
Painting-wise, I'm interested in what happens at the transitions of two surfaces. How does the change take shape? Is it an abrupt transition, a flowing into each other, does the passage become an independent entity...?
This series consists of vertical paintings with monochrome stripes, focusing on the transitions between these color fields. Analogous to the complexity of the transitions, I worked with different media, mainly acrylic, but also marble powder, sand, bitumen or wax.
autumn calm I & II
acrylic & other on wood panel, 24 x 12’’
skyfall I & II
acrylic & other on wood panel, 24 x 12’’
midnight
acrylic & other on canvas, 24 x 18’’