Frohe Ostern! And working on Kirchner ….

Alas no easy break for me this weekend …..with only a few days to go I could not miss the opportunity to get as much work done as possible with my show opening on Friday evening here in Berlin.

I have found that sometimes the best way to understand and relate to an artist is to try and put yourself in their shoes.  To try and understand their work and in my case ‘brush strokes’! So I endeavoured to get a little closer to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. I have long been an admirer of his work and his use of media is astounding to me, just for fun I decided to study one of his pieces but to add a little playfulness to it, just to make it a little more interesting to viewers as well as myself. It was only intended to be a research piece but I was so pleased with the outcome and so thoroughly enjoyed working on it that a few more have materialised! I am calling them “my movement” pieces at the moment ….

  

  

All of them have ‘moving parts’ and it was a delight to use colours I would not necessarily be associated with ….I must admit I would love to make some really big versions! This then precipitated a portrait of the artist himself to be where he belonged, amongst his own works ….

 

My Easter weekend then culminated with two little portraits ……

  

A weekend well spent me thinks!

Wieder in Berlin …….

So I am now entering the second phase of the ‘Exploration of the Weimar Culture’ and have returned to Berlin!
I arrived on a high as I had just received notification that three of my pieces from this new stage of my artistic career, had been accepted by Leicester into their Open 26 which will open and run whilst I am in Berlin ….I could not have hoped for a better start.
Berlin always begins with an adventure and opening of sorts ….last year upon stepping off the aeroplane I attended the opening of John Waters …..this year it was to Hau 2 …… A delightful literary reading with accompanying soundtrack, beautifully read and completely spell-bounding ….certainly an inspiration which then led to my own creation of three new pieces of art work……. With my own exhibition coming up quickly at Tapir, Friedrichshain …..it is the ideal start….
A little taster…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A completed collage but there is also an accompanying pencil portrait in a traditional format.

As I was reminiscing about last year’s residency here is Berlin ….it was only apt to acknowledge it with a piece of work …..

The World of 1920s Weimar Germany

Shadows and Light – New Walk Gallery, Leicester

Yesterday I attended a lecture at Leicester’s New Walk Gallery, which houses a fantastic collection of German Expressionist Art works; hosted by the Curator Simon Lake.

http://www.germanexpressionismleicester.org/

It began with explaining the catastrophic effect The Great War had on Germany’s economy, how the artists first perceived their individual roles and how they then tried to ‘express’ to the outside world their experiences, recollections and aims.  The development of the artistic movements of Dada, expressionism and the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ of the Bauhaus.

Singularly selecting key artists such as Hannah Höch, Georg Grosz and Otto Dix, where Leicester is extremely fortunate to have some of these artists works in their permanent collection.  To go into further detail of some of the more colorful characters which were then immortalized in oil and paint by the artists, like for instance Anita Berber, the notorious dancer and actress whose probably more famous/infamous for her scandalous life style!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bauhaus was paid due care and attention as it should.  I was delighted that the Bauhaus weavers, specifically Anni Albers work was focused upon which has now inspired me afresh which I will research into with a bit more depth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally the talk concluded with a look at the innovative film work produced in Berlin; Das Cabinets des Dr. Caligari and Metropolis to name a few, featuring some beautiful stills from each film.

Saturday 6th of December the gallery will host a talk on Conrad Felixmüller which I am eagerly anticipating.

 

Takt Artist Residency Group Exhibition – Opening Night

During my time in Berlin there have been a few comings & goings, artists come to Berlin for a variety of times and reasons but it was now time for the Group Exhibition which I would be part of. The group I am with all arrived in Berlin a month before me, a few had also returned home but there was 9 of us participating in the exhibition which was being curated by Olivia Bishop who had participated in the artist residency in 2013 for 4 months but had remained in Berlin continuing her artistic practise.
Our opening night was scheduled for Friday 21st March 7pm.
Participating Artists:
Carolyn Bushell, England
Nikki Hafter, England
Skye Jacobson, Australia
Rachel Jonas, U.S.A
Elisa Longo, Italy
Maureen O’Shaughnessy, Australia
Pat Peltier, U.S.A
John Raux, U.S.A
Caterina Renaux, Brazil
Takt Winter Residency Group Exhibition 2014

Looking for Marlene…..

Sunday was International Women’s Day …..somewhat a bit delayed I know but I decided today was my time to ‘pay my respects’ to the very special lady whom I admire and has probably had the most influence upon me!
So I set off to Städtischer Friedhof III … Stopping off briefly to arm myself with plants and flowers, one dare not turn up empty handed!

I had arrived and was to head for “34”… As soon as I entered the cemetery I could feel myself get emotional before I’d even found it! It was like I was going to see a dearly departed relative or friend, that did catch me unawares….I had not counted on being emotional!
Then there she was……and I found myself talking away to her …thankfully the cemetery was mostly deserted otherwise the men in white coats may have been summoned! I presented to her obviously my tokens of appreciation! Nothing too fancy as I know she did not like that sort of thing!

I was fascinated with the whole place and there was a beautiful tranquility surrounding it all, I am just so very pleased that Marlene was finally resting in peace in Berlin. Of course you could not be in a place like this without also coming across Berlin’s history; trail of war….the first

And then the second…

But it was a beautiful sunny day and I was not going to dwell in melancholia so it was now off to where it all began in 1901 ….

Marlene was born in Lebenstraße, still a very beautiful area and you soon knew you was in the right place!….

With some further walking along in the sunshine I finally completed my pilgrimage at…

I feel very contented now I have done my Marlene homage, I have finally gotten to see her final resting place …one cannot be in Berlin without visiting her Queen!