Why do you paint?
Painting and the pursuit of art and painting have overshadowed all other essential aspects of my life.
Photo credits: Lachenmann Art
How has your style changed over time? When I started painting, it was pleasing landscapes, trees, and still lifes. But it meant nothing to me. It didn't teach me anything. It arose purely from a desire for beauty. So there was no development and no sense of happiness. I had to delve deeper within myself. Later, through exploring color, I discovered the meaning of painting for me. Before, it was a pleasant pastime—now it's a relentless driving force.
Are there any particular artistic role models you look to for guidance or who particularly inspire you?
Cezanne, Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko.
Photo credits: Biliana Peneva
What kind of music would best describe your art? (And do you sing in the shower?)
I also often sing in the shower, because it's known to sound better there than in the dry living room. Besides that, I had several years of unsuccessful singing lessons – but it was enough to sing in the Munich Philharmonic Choir for about 10 years.
Sounds and tones arise and vanish in the same instant – that's a parallel to my approach to painting. Of course, music is also an emotional and rhythmic inspiration. For example, with Bach – I find myself reflected in his clear structures, his profound simplicity, the layering of tones like the layering of colors. But I also love Klezmer music and the hip-hop compositions of Titus Martinů.
What material do you prefer to work with, and what technique particularly distinguishes your work?
Color pigments, orange oil and beeswax, garden soil, oil paints.
Regarding the technique: Multi-layered glazes, differentiated paint applications, soft edges and color gradients, multiple layers of paint for intense luminosity.
If you could only paint with one color, which would it be?
Phthalic blue - often semi-transparent in its pure form - ideal for glazes and layers.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Shepherdess.
Where in the world would you live if you could choose completely freely?
In Crete.
Photo credits: Jörg Rudolph
What is your favorite season?
Summer - that's where the connection to my painting lies.
What's the craziest material you've ever used for painting?
Oxidized metals.
What question would you have liked us to ask you that we didn't?
What would a color sound like if it had a sound?
Can color fields preserve memories or emotions?