We are undergoing enormous processes of transformation. This is certainly not always easy. Especially at times like these, it is important to train ourselves to listen subtly.
What can art do? What can painting do? A small impulse – a dream image, a fleeting mood, a memory – can open a door to a vast world. We know this. But how can we manage to really pay attention to these quiet signals, take them seriously and make them visible?
Painting makes marks. It makes the invisible visible: a thought that cannot be put into words, a feeling that has not yet taken shape. In dialogue with the paper or canvas, we leave a trace of ourselves – through colour, line, gesture. We shape, set impulses, design.
At some point in the process, the dynamic changes: once the direction has been set based on our own imagination, it is then a matter of listening to the picture. What is the next step? Does it need a wild red or a solid dark blue? A bold stroke or a delicate blur? The picture demands. It poses riddles. It is unruly or supple. This dialogue – between what I want and what the picture needs – is exciting, often stirring. A dance between devotion and precise placement. And it reflects life.
The beauty of the art academy: individual work is subtly supported by the group.
y starting each day in a circle with a short meditation, we create a safe space. Something emerges in the group that would not be possible alone: we are seen. Our work is noticed. What is still delicate and unfinished is allowed to show itself – without judgement, but with genuine attention.
In personal conversations and by looking closely together, things become visible that often remain hidden from us: a recurring motif, a choice of colour that tells us more than we realise, a gesture that carries meaning. The group becomes a resonance chamber in which the quiet takes on weight and the hidden takes shape.
And: it’s just nice not to work alone. The quiet concentration of the others carries your own. The processes of the others inspire without distracting.
About the week in Reichenhall
Participants with and without previous knowledge are welcome to join the course. Feel free to bring along any material you are currently working on (or photos of it). I also recommend bringing cardboard, paper, coloured pencils, charcoal and acrylic paints (Boesner is across the street, so materials can also be purchased on site).
Every morning, breathing exercises, small physical activities and meditation are offered (approx. 30 minutes). Therefore, it is a good idea to bring a yoga mat and/or a sitting cushion.
I am very much looking forward to seeing you there.