Wetterhaus Painting

BIOGRAPHY Lives and works in Aachen 1949 Born in Goldbeck /Sachsen-Anhalt, East Germany (formerly GDR) Early childhood spent with grandmother in a village near Stendal, East Germany (formerly GDR) 1958 Emigration to Mönchengladbach / BRD (formerly West Germany) Regular stays in Stendal until 1967 1970 Application and rejection at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf 1980 until 1981 at Folkwangschule Essen 2008 until 2009 at Freie Kunstakademie Nürtingen Since 1989 various exhibitions ASPECTS OF ARTISTIC WORK Initiated by a great interest in and observation of obscure daily events, motives develop. Random and often incidental impressions and developments of daily experiences from TV, newspaper and conversations result in a pointed overlay in the picture. With pleasure in obscure exaggerations, the pictures reflect aspects of bewildering life - sometimes in real but also in dreamlike scenes. Figures of the known and familiar are being exaggerated. However, only through the exaggeration a different perspective develops. Besides the motif, the painterly aspect is of great importance. The completeness of the scene is always also to be viewed from a painterly aspect as well as the question of the picture's "žcorrectness". My angle of view on the pictures and the thus connected particular perspective on the subject of my artistic work, does not necessarily have to be consistent with that of the spectator. Painting, the art work itself does not suffer derogation by the potential discrepancy, instead it is more an expression of the spectator's own imagery and experiences. TECHNIQUE AND WAY OF WORK With drawings and sketches, own photographs, newspaper scraps and picture material thematic concepts and ideas are being collated over a long period of time and consolidated. Thus a number of sketches develop, which at first only clarify the formal elements, such as the composition. The here contained, figurative elements serve at first only the rough approach and circumscription of the thematic idea. In rough strokes first with charcoal and then with much diluted paint, the sketches' contents are being fixed on the painting's surface. The painting process can be described as a continual repainting, correcting or rather retaining. During this complex painting process intuitive decisions are being made; there is no in-detail and upfront defined course.