Samurai II Print

Originally from Germany and having traveled much of the world, nothing informs my art more than the country I have adopted as my home, the United States of America, and Los Angeles in particular. The sheer diversity and pulsating creativity of Los Angeles is my greatest source of inspiration. I am surrounded by world-class museums, a vibrant gallery scene, and amazing street art. All of this contributes to the richness and depth of experience that I incorporate into my art. The majority of my art has to do with symbols of power and strength. In my oil paintings, I work almost exclusively with the palette knife building up in the paint, not knowing where it is going to take me. I begin by applying paint to the canvas in unpredictable ways, and gradually work my own emotions and perspectives into every composition. Relief printing is another medium I pursue. The origins of this technique are ancient and varied and can be traced back to civilizations from around 4000 BCE. These facts fascinate me. The individual printmaking process is very important as one is enormously influenced by the way the marks develop. I've found that the method of printmaking can remove you slightly so that you don't overthink. It can make work natural or intuitive because your concentration is divided. I think it can be very useful if you have a tendency to be too controlling or under-confident. Each method, (such as woodcut, linocut, or screen printing, e.g.) has limitations that strangely help toward freeing the work. Art is my day-to-day passion; it occupies an important part of my life. Looking at art, making art, discovering new ways of thinking about art gives meaningful context and spiritual value to my life.