Interviews
August 2024, interview with "Passion Painter" - My journey to acrylic painting interviewed by Jutta "Pique Paradox"
The artist Jutta (Pique Paradox) has visited me in my studio in Inzell. On my wall boards, there are finished and unfinished artworks, mostly acrylic or mixed media, mostly acrylic or mixed media, which can give you an insight into my current creative phase. She wanted to find out more and asked me a few questions..
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
How did you start with art? Was there a special moment or person who have inspired you?
We both drew a lot together as teenagers – inspired by manga and anime. But I tended to copy the motifs. Over the years I’ve tried out a lot, e.g. watercolor, colored pencil and pencil drawings. And then I came to acrylic painting, especially abstract painting, through the artist Petra Tölken, “Künstlerstreich”. She showed me that you can paint really intuitively and have fun. That was really activating. That’s when I discovered abstract art for myself. Back then, I discovered all kinds of new media for myself, including charcoal. That’s how I came to my main subject, acrylic painting. conte
What did you paint with in the past?
Colored pencil, pencil and watercolor. I still do the latter from time to time.
Which artists or art movements have particularly influenced you?
“Der blaue Reiter” movement, especially Franz Marc and August Macke. I saw their work in a joint exhibition in Munich. I find the colors very appealing, and their works have a special feeling for me.
Can you remember your first work that you really considered “finished”? What did it mean to you?
Apart from my paintings before my abstract phase: In the “new era” it was this painting (abstract acrylic painting with blue, green and yellow accents). It felt good, as if I had created something new. I still had a reference, but that’s where it started for me.
Did you feel a shift inside at that moment?
Yes, it was fun. I felt „free,“ realizing I didn’t have to meet expectations or do something specific.
WORK PROCESS AND TECHNIQUE
Where does an idea start and how does it develop into a finished work?
To be honest: I just start. That’s the good thing about it, I don’t really have an idea beforehand. Unless I want to realize or capture something specific, then I have a motif.
So you need to be in a mood where you say: I want to do something now?
Yes, and to loosen up, I like to make something with charcoal, loose strokes on paper. Sometimes you can already see what it’s going to be and what you could do – often something comes about by chance.
There are creative processes that are a bit more strenuous and those where it just flows and a great picture comes out in the end. What is the ratio for you?
When I look back, it’s pretty even.
What motivates you to keep going even though it's exhausting? At what point do you know that you want to finish a painting?
When I realize that there is still something I could develop. Sometimes the first attempt is also the best – I made more drafts but then went back to the first one. And threw the others away.
Oh, so you throw things away?
Yes. (laughs) But with canvases you can always paint over them, which is good.
What are your favorite techniques and materials to use and why?
Acrylic paint and I also really like acrylic ink because of the dripping effects. Textured pastes and sand are also always exciting – and I like working on canvas, which is nice and soft.
How do you decide which colors and shapes should dominate in a particular work? Is there a conscious language of color or form in your work?
Drops, lines – lines dominate here in this “fast art” style, but I don’t have specific shapes for my other works.
Pique Paradox: So that’s also more intuitive?
Passion Painter: Yes – as an artist, I would actually need a formal language, wouldn’t I?
Pique Paradox: Maybe you can’t see it yourself, but I actually think you have a language of color and form.
Passion Painter: Yes? Feel free to describe it.
Pique Paradox: In any case, turquoise dominates as a color… and large geometric shapes as the basic structure, with different layers and applications of paint, drops – and yet actually still something figurative in the center. That speaks a language for me. Calm, meditative – and also activating. A bit like the different qualities of water, at times still as a lake, then bubbly like a spring.
INSPIRATION AND MOTIFS
Where do you get your inspiration from? Are there certain themes or experiences that keep cropping up in your art?
Nature – I take a lot of photos, like the magnolias, for example, I just felt like doing that.
It’s rare to see people in your pictures. What inspired you to include human figures in the picture “Silhouettes”?
That’s right, I don’t do that very often. In this case, I wanted to depict “voices from the background” as people. I just wanted to suggest the figure, so no eyes or other details.
There are various reasons why you might want to paint a picture - either because you are looking for relaxation or because you associate something positive with it, or because you want to process something. Would you say that the formal language also adapts to your intention?
Sometimes I just want to put color on paper or canvas. In this case, where I wanted to express something more personal, I chose the figures. I primarily follow Petra Tölken’s approach: “Just do it” – just start and do what you feel like doing. You can’t make any mistakes.
I also find the approach appealing. Just letting yourself go.
Exactly, that’s what I primarily want to pursue. Sometimes it doesn’t work completely, and then you need some kind of orientation. It’s good to have some kind of plan at least.
What role does the environment in which you live and work play in your art?
Nature is very important to me. Peace, music…
Oh, so you also listen to music when you paint? What kind?
Relaxation and meditation music from YouTube, or Radiobob 😊 if I need something activating.
There are also some people who need total silence when painting. Do you listen to music at every stage of your painting process or only at the beginning for inspiration or activation?
Very often at the beginning, but also in the middle. But I also turn them off when I need to concentrate.
Do you also listen to podcasts or do you watch other programs on the side?
In the past, when I had a TV nearby, yes… documentaries, for example.
But currently more music.
In your work, one often recognizes geometric forms combined with nature or landscape elements. What meaning do these have for you?
Shapes, especially angular elements, mountains – I would like to organize the picture with these elements. And then let something flow over it to bring disorder back into it. (laughs)
So… orderly disorder. (laughs)
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE AND OBJECTIVES
How do you feel about today's art scene? Do you feel part of a certain movement or generation of artists?
In hindsight, you can categorize artists into different movements, but in the here and now… there are so many directions.
It’s rare to see people in your pictures. What inspired you to include human figures in the picture “Silhouettes”?
That’s right, I don’t do that very often. In this case, I wanted to depict “voices from the background” as people. I just wanted to suggest the figure, so no eyes or other details.
There are various reasons why you might want to paint a picture - either because you are looking for relaxation or because you associate something positive with it, or because you want to process something. Would you say that the formal language also adapts to your intention?
Sometimes I just want to put color on paper or canvas. In this case, where I wanted to express something more personal, I chose the figures. I primarily follow Petra Tölken’s approach: “Just do it” – just start and do what you feel like doing. You can’t make any mistakes.
I also find the approach appealing. Just letting yourself go.
Exactly, that’s what I primarily want to pursue. Sometimes it doesn’t work completely, and then you need some kind of orientation. It’s good to have some kind of plan at least.
What role does the environment in which you live and work play in your art?
Nature is very important to me. Peace, music…
Oh, so you also listen to music when you paint? What kind?
Relaxation and meditation music from YouTube, or Radiobob 😊 if I need something activating.
There are also some people who need total silence when painting. Do you listen to music at every stage of your painting process or only at the beginning for inspiration or activation?
Very often at the beginning, but also in the middle. But I also turn them off when I need to concentrate.
Do you also listen to podcasts or do you watch other programs on the side?
In the past, when I had a TV nearby, yes… documentaries, for example.
But currently more music.
In your work, one often recognizes geometric forms combined with nature or landscape elements. What meaning do these have for you?
Shapes, especially angular elements, mountains – I would like to organize the picture with these elements. And then let something flow over it to bring disorder back into it. (laughs)
So… orderly disorder. (laughs)
Yes, there is actually everything, different trends, but without an overall tendency. If you look at the styles that have dominated the workshops you have attended and your own paintings - is there a name you would give to this movement?
Maybe “Modern Abstract” or “Modern Interpretations” or “Experiments with Color”?
Perhaps the term “mixed media” also covers some of these other interpretations? It's more of a modern trend that many different media are used at the same time and are also experimented with. In the past, the separation of media was very strict. In recent years, artists have become more creative in terms of which materials can be integrated into pictures.
Yes, that’s true. I enjoy that too. I’d like to mix watercolor and acrylic in the picture with the musicians, for example, so I’d paint the bright red in the background with acrylic. I really want to try it out and see how it works!
Is there a message or a feeling you want to convey through your art?
Freedom, activation through dynamic carbon lines… but is that what artists want at all? To create something specific?
This is often the discussion as to whether what the viewer sees was intended by the artist. This is often added afterwards.
I don’t actually want to trigger anything in particular in this sense.
In my opinion, this is not absolutely necessary. But collecting feedback would certainly reveal a certain tendency... Your pictures trigger the following in me: Calm and stability on the one hand, and then something hidden that you can't quite grasp, that resonates and touches something in you that you haven't yet discovered in yourself. Turquoise is a color that activates on the one hand, but not too much like orange or red, for example, and on the other hand also has something calming about it. And something optimistic. Visions that could be realized, a feeling of possibility.
That was probably what I also liked about one of my role models (Petra Tölken, Adele Sypesteyn, Franz Marc), and I then unconsciously adopted it to some extent, albeit in different combinations and proportions.
How do you deal with criticism? Does it influence your creative process or your artistic development?
I’m happy to take tips from the courses and workshops I attend. I’m not being judged by art critics yet 😀
Are there people in your immediate circle of relatives and acquaintances who have commented on your art?
My mother and work colleagues. There wasn’t any unsolicited criticism , unless you ask specifically, e.g. for pictures that I’m not so sure I like myself.
What are your goals as an artist? Is there a particular project or exhibition that you dream of?
I would love to do an exhibition – perhaps split into two parts, the lively, more intuitive part and then other works. That would be a dream 😊
FUTURE AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
How do you see your art developing over the next few years? Are there any new directions you would like to take?
Maybe there will be new media on the market again in the next few years that you could discover… There are a few things I would like to try out, such as different pens. I recently heard from other artists that there are certain chalks that stick to canvas. So far I’ve only used oil pastels. I’m sure there’s a lot more I don’t know 😊 Maybe tools for more delicate lines.
Pique Paradox: Exciting. You can use them to depict and express other things.
What role does technology play in your work? Are you interested in exploring digital art forms?
Actually, I don’t see it that way for me. You can do great things with a tablet, but it’s not that appealing to me.
It could be interesting for drafting ideas, you can emulate the different media quite well digitally. But I also perceived that the physical process is very important to you.
Yes, I suppose it’s necessary for me somehow. (laughs)
Do you like working alone, or are there any artists you would like to work with in the future?
With you (laughs). Maybe a joint exhibition with other artists. It would be great if we could learn from each other.
Are you good at painting in the company of others or do you feel inhibited in those situations ?
Sometimes. I like to paint alone. Especially when attending courses, I often feel the pressure to do something particularly great. The courses do help me a lot, especially to keep practicing and sticking to a routine, but I also find it difficult.
What advice would you give to young, aspiring artists who want to find their own voice?
Do what you want and be yourself 😊 Even if it’s hard sometimes. It’s a development process. Sometimes you can leave it up to chance to show you where to go next. where you can go next. Just don’t stop.
What would you like to leave people with when they look at your art?
A feeling of joy. That they can stay with the pictures for a while and perhaps take something away with them.
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Thank you very much for taking the time for this detailed and insightful interview!
Thank you very much for conducting it and for the pleasant conversation! 🙂