A Ballerina

I  have been immersed in drawing lately. Somehow, this newly gained focus on drawing and moving away from icon painting for a week  feels like a sea change.

A wave movement - similar to dancing. Ballet.

Movement and energy, of which I can never get enough, as I try to zoom in and out of its rippling effects. 

An Icon for Easter and Light

I created the icon below, "Our Lady In Sorrow" a while back. 

Through sorrows, the light of Easter shines. 

The End of Winter

The End of Winter- a drawing.

On Till Eulenspiegel and Painting On Glass

I became acquainted with stories of Till Eulenspiegel, somewhere at the boundary between childhood and adolescence.
Till’s picaresque stories, the never ending surprises in his destiny and his travels far and wide, held my imagination captive.

It seemed only natural that I would return to these musings later on in life to give Till Eulenspiegel a place in a painting on glass.

The Till Eulenspigel in my painting strikes a pose that harkens back to the masters of the Italian Renaissance, a time when the actual Till, the sea and land farer, likely lived.

As I painted Till, I went back to my months of studying Pierro della Francesca and Simone Martini, and to everything they had taught me, so I can get at the spirit of the  ‘land farer’.

There is something special about painting on glass. 
It allows one to capture, in a translucent setting, movement and light.

Especially movement - which Till Eulenspiegel was all about.

Two picto-poems at the Berkeley Castle Gallery in Toronto - February 11th to February 22nd, 2010

Two picto-poems ("Englyn" and "Hiatus"), in the form of two posters (30" x 20" each) are on display at the Berkeley Castle Gallery in Toronto from February 11th to February 22nd, 2010. The posters combine a drawing and a painting by me with poetry by Irina.

The exhibition, a community event, was organized by Dianne Acey and curated by Karen McMillan.

You can read about this event in English here: 

Love and The Berkeley Castle Gallery in Toronto - February 11th to February 22nd, 2010

and in Romanian here: Despre dragoste, Berkeley Castle Gallery si picto-poeme.

Palm Sunday - An Icon

Palm Sunday is a new theme for me, a theme I developed in one of the icons I painted on glass.
 
 On Palm Sunday, which is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter, Jesus entered Jerusalem and he was greeted with joy by the people of Jerusalem who were waiving palm tree branches and covered the ground he was to tread on with their clothes.
 
In Romania, Palm Sunday is called “Duminica Floriilor” and many take willow leaves (reminiscent of palm leaves) to church to be blessed.

Painting icons on glass or wood allows me to create an object of art with profound religious meaning and provides me with the opportunity to explore the play of colors, symbols and techniques at the same time.

This is why I enjoy painting them.

Nürnberg im Mittelalter - Nuremberg in the Middle Ages

Nürnberg is one of the prominent cultural centers of the German-speaking world since the late Middle Ages. 

The works of the Nürnberg craftsmen were of a unique variety, of excellent quality and were spread by well organized trade throughout Europe.
They are housed in many museums world-wide and to this date, art objects created at Nürnberg during the Middle Ages are a source of inspiration for art-lovers everywhere.
 
The town of Nürnberg was surrounded by a high wall, a ring made of stones, which was the town wall. 
The town wall protected the city from its enemies, and the town gate was guarded.
The marketplace formed the centre of the town.  
All around the marketplace, businessmen and craftsmen had their retail shops. 
The church was situated in close proximity of the marketplace.
 
My inspiration for this painting was:
The oldest view of the city of Nurenberg towards the end of the Middle Ages (1493)
(Spring: "World chronicle" by Hardman Schedel).
 
The idea of the painting came to me after I had created a series of Romanian icons on glass and learned that painting on glass as a technology had its origin in Southern Germany.
 
The logical consequence for me was to take up this motive (Nürnberg) and to bring it on glass.
 
There was a link, I thought, between the miniature and the painting on glass, between the technique that I had learned in my old home country, Romania, and the technique that had flourished in my new country, Germany, so I painted  “Nürnberg im Mittelalter (Nuremberg in the Middle Ages)“ .
 
The circle was thus complete.

Brotfabrik Innenhof (The Inner Court of the Bread Factory)

Brotfabrik Innenhof (The Inner Court of the Bread Factory) is a sketch that was part of an exhibition in June and July 2009. In this sketch, I attempted to capture the atmosphere at the Brotfabrik Innenhof, a place of art and culture, with a romantic inner court by the café.

United Buddy Bear Exhibition – Berlin - A Bear In the Rain

Simply jotting down tonight some of the themes I approached as I set out to paint the bear below.

The central part of the painting is a rendition of the saint prophet Ilie, the rain maker, crossing the sky in his chariot. 

Underneath saint Ilie,  two peasants, working in a vineyard, are saluting the saint’s passage, and celebrating the soon to be made new wine. 

The peasants are waving their shirts in joy, towards the saint.

This central painting is inspired by an icon on glass, made in the XIX century in the  city of Fagaras, Romania. The icon is on display at the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu, Romania. 

Icons - On the Art of Painting on Glass

My icons on glass blend in themes from Bible readings. The one above represents The Last Supper. Most of my icons are free from the constraints imposed by the techniques used to create icons on wood, in the manner of Byzatine masters.

Several centuries ago icons on glass were used as an object of cult, but also as a decorative element that would represent the biblical themes for those who could not read.
In their earlier days, icons on glass were also a token of prestige, as glass was still an expensive material at the time this technique became popular.

As  that I write this note on painting on glass, I think of a quote from Joseph Joubert:

"Light is the shadow of God: clarity is the shadow of light", or in French, in the orginal:

"La lumière est l’ombre de Dieu: la clarté, l’ombre de la lumière".

The Making of the Romanian "Buddy Bear"

So what is it like to tell the story of a cultural heritage combined with the story of being an artist in Berlin?

These were the very questions I had while working on the "Buddy Bear" that represents Romania in the "United Buddy Bear" exhibition.  

Not entirely easy to address, but definitely fun formulating behind an easel while mixing up colors. 

The answers I came by gradually originate in the profound bond I have with the Romanian folklore and religious painting - byzantine paintings to be more precise. 

Some of the answers that I would get on one day, would evolve into new and difficult questions on the following one.  
(I've summarized some of my views in the catalog).

But feel free to look at the bear, either in Berlin Hauptbahnhof or on line, and ask away through the "comments" box. I will try to find the answer to your  questions,or maybe, by looking at the Bear, you might find the answers to questions I'm still seeking myself.  

"Buddy Bear" Representing Romania at the "United Buddy Bear" Exhibition

The 18th “United Buddy Bears” exhibition, takes place from November 28th, 2009 to mid-April 2010 and is the first indoor exhibition for the circle of United Buddy Bears, hosted in Berlin-Hauptbahnhof (Central Station).

I've painted the "Buddy Bear" representing Romania.

This creation is my rendition of the Romanian cultural heritage looked at through the lenses of my experiences and personal perspectives.

Now, that the 'bear' is completed and exhibited in Berlin-Hauptbahnhof, I’d like to share some photos of it, and of the exhibition. 

 

Bewegter Raum

Gemeinschaftsarbeit mit meinem Sohn Patrik
Format: 150x160
Technik: Öl und Pigmente auf Leinwand

Im Garten

Gemeinschaftsarbeit mit meinem Sohn Patrik
Format: 220x150 / 90x150
Technik: Acryl auf Leinwand

Elfenreigen

 

Tafelbild

Format: 80x58

Technik: Ei-Tempera auf Holz

Rote Pferde

Tafelbild
Format: 45x35
Technik: Ei-Tempara und Blattgold

Musikpavillon im Bürgerpark Berlin-Pankow

Format: 60x50

Technik: Bleistift und Ölkreide

Hoffnungskirche in Berlin-Pankow

Format: 50x70

Technik: Bleistift und Ölkreide

Kavalierhaus in Berlin-Pankow

Format: 60x50
Technik: Reisskohle

Nürnberg im Mittelalter

Hinterglasmalerei
Format: 45x35
Technik: Tepera auf Glas

Till Eulenspiegel

Hinterglasmalerei
Format: 40x50
Technik: Tempera auf Glas

Christi Geburt

Hinterglasmalerei
Format: 50x60
Technik: Tempera auf Glas

Maria mit dem Kinde

 

Ikone

Format: 10x12

Technik: Ei-Tempera auf Holz

Der Erzengel Michael

 Ikonenmalerei
Format: 45x35
Technik: Ei-Tempera und Blattgold auf Holz

Cleo

Tafelbild
Format: 45x46
Technik: Ei-Tempera auf Holz

Georg mit dem Drachen

Format: 30x26
Technik: Ei-Tempera und Blattgold auf Leinwand