Friday the 13th - Crystal Lake - Awakening Print

I was born in 1965 in Berlin. At the age of 15 I started painting seriously and had my first exhibition two years later in the Berliner Philharmonie. I went to nude painting in class of Andre Bednarczik in Berlin, spent a month in Salzburg at the Sommerakademie to start lithography at class of Werner Otte, graduated as a graphic-designer in 1991, became a webmaster in 2000 and made my MA at the University of the Arts in Berlin ("Institute of Art in Context). From 2007 until 2012 I studied Art and English at the University Potsdam gaining a BA and MA in Education. In 2013, I successfully completed my state examination and have been teaching art, English, and music at a primary school in Berlin ever since. Since 1998 I`m also working as an art-workshop teacher in private schools and youth facilites. I am a member of the Japan-Germany Contemporary Fine Arts Exchange Association led by Sohachi Shimomisse in Kyoto and also of the BVBK (Brandenburger Verband Bildender Künstler)I live and work as an Art teacher, freelance artist, producer, graphic/webdesigner in Kleinmachnow, Brandenburg, Germany. Current subjects/themes 1. Film stills The year of generating images on the computer was the initial spark to use them as templates for large scale paintings. What I am using now are stills, fragments and press photos from newspapers, books and movies. The conceptual idea is to take a closer look on violence and catastrophes and transfer them into a new aesthetic surrounding where the actual scenes of horror and fear are mixed with fascination. Changes in colour, partly achieved through polarized effects, gradations, complementary colours and shades of monochromes, give way to emphasize the relation between content and realities. 2. Musical portraits on vinyl, walls and canvas Besides movies, music has always been a major inspiration in my painting process. I started using photos of portraits of well known artists some 20 years ago by blending them into abstract backdrops highlighting the essential traits and expression of the profile. Vinyl as an additional image carrier perfectly combines both the music and its maker. 3. Assemblages The passion for found objects has also been going on for a number of years. Its sheer beauty urges me to embed them onto canvas creating a world of paint, shapes and textures.