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| "Ceci est la couleur de mes rêves". - Joan Miro |
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"But after all, the aim of art is to create space, space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space within which the subjects of painting can live." - Frank Stella |
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| “Our world is much more colourful than fundamentalists wish to see it.” - Sir Ian McKellen, British actor, on BBC Hardtalk |
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| "Without art, the crudeness of reality
would make the world unbearable." -
George Bernard Shaw |
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My painter friends Ted Knerr and Marc Salz sent me these quotes on "what is art":
Henri Matisse:"When I am submissive and modest, I feel surrounded by someone who makes me do things of which I am not capable. All art worthy of the name is (spiritual, or) it is nothing more than a document, an anecdote."
Pablo Picasso: "Something sacred, that's it, - we ought to be able to say that word, or something like it, but people would take it the wrong way, and give it a meaning that wasn't intended. We ought to be able to say such and such a painting is as it is, with its capacity for power because it has been touched by God. But people would put a wrong interpretation on it."
"I remember the story of the student who asked the Zen monk about the meaning of life(art) and after going back and forth with the question, and ... receiving only silence as an answer, the student replied: now I understand". |
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| Mail & Thoughts |
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| SEASONS (2010) |
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Antonio Vivaldi's "Les Quattro Staggioni", or in contemporary art, Roy Staab's installations, Brian Eno's time lapse photos, Jun Kaneko's Maui sculptures, Stephane Lambiel's "Art on Ice", Cy Twombly's "Le Quattro Staggioni”.
Although the theme “seasons” was my initial inspiration to the series, each work - self-contained - invites the viewer to personal interaction beyond the original theme. |
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2010-07-10 - Hello Karl, you have to come to Macau visit us ! It is nice to see you trough your wonderful work... -
Mário Pedro Meireles, Macau |
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2010-07-10 - Very very nice!!!!!!!!!!!! Simply just go on like this... even invent some more seasons, maybe 12??? bye bye and a big kiss
- Suus Suiker, The Netherlands |
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2010-07-10 - Beautiful Karl. A lot of fresh air in these pieces. -
Marc Salz, USA |
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| 2010-07-11 - These are beautiful! Very subtle and yes, Zen-like...looking forward to seeing them in person. - Astrid Fitzgerald, USA |
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| 2010-07-11 - Wow, this is really great Karl! Thanks for sharing it. I'll spread the word
too! - Anne Stahl, USA |
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| 2010-07-11 - dear karl, thanks so much for sending your new paintings - i love them both!
deeply felt and complex beyond any obvious method - yes, zen is an apt word here i think -
they're wonderful on the screen but i know work of this size and complexity would be even stronger in reality - sorry i can't be there to see them directly - must be quite an experience, so my sincere congratulations! i look forward to what lies ahead -
with love to you and mireille ........ ted knerr, usa |
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| 2010-07-11 - not too bad, the Spring is probably too subtle for my taste, but it depends
on how the four fit together. cheers, Ernie Gerzabek, Australia |
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2010-07-11 - Karl, Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely beautiful! Kudos! I say this, not because I have a prejudice for an organic approach to abstraction, but because there is a new strength captured in these pcs. You also bring this strength, I will also call it magic, to your geometric constructions; especially the works of the last year or so.
I like it that you keep stepping forward to challenge where you have been to create a future. Isn't this what art making is to its maker? Ya Ya I think. As you reference here, who can hate Zen? Zen is good!
Happy trails my friend,
David Novak, USA |
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| 2010-07-11 - Good work Karl, I love specially the first from the right.
I hope you are having a great summer. Besos, Rosa Mascarell, Spain |
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| Paintings "Roccia" in Nicolas Eyer's new short novel Das Lied vom Ganzsein (The Song of Being Whole) |
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roccia 01 |
roccia 02 |
roccia 03 |
roccia 04 |
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Das Lied vom Ganzsein. A short novel by young Swiss German author Nicolas Eyer. The two protagonists have their kafkaesque neuroses, the fear of losing and never finding things, and the fear of only finding without effort. The two meet and solve the other’s neurosis, and they escape from their narrow mountain valley to Renaissance Florence. But they discover that together, with their complementary traits, what defines each of them has been lost. They decide to separate and return, to their mountain valley and their idiosyncrasies. I am contributing in the book paintings from my roccia series. A mirror image of the plot? From the wide horizon but rootlessness of my experience, and the borderlessness of abstract expressionist painting, to finding roots and tradition in the narrow Binn valley where I paint, with its abstracted elements on canvas, but then back to my world beyond borders of geography and convention. |
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Originals are acrylic on canvas, 80x80 (roccia 01) and 100x100 cm. Nicolas Eyer's book is scheduled for publication late 2010. |
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| Exhibition "PRIMAVERA 2010 " at Golf de Lavaux, Lake Geneva, Switzerland, 17 May - 20 June 2010 |
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Golf de Lavaux, near Vevey/Montreux, among the most beautiful on Lake Geneva, is featuring an exhibition of my latest series, Primavera 2010, at their club-house from 24 May to 20 June. At the 24 May charity tournament to benefit an association that supports neglected children, one of my paintings was offered as a tombola prize, along with gift vouchers in local luxury hotels. In the tournament, I was fortunate to come in second. For our golfing friends, here is the link to Golf de Lavaux, which I can recommend.
http://www.golflavaux.ch |
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| 2010-5-22 - C'est magnifique. Mes félicitations et beaucoup de chance!
Astrid F - PS I just looked at the Primavera series again and discovered the golfer. He's quite endearing and somehow looks quite Swiss with his red socks. I expect him to break out in a shout, as in "Jauchzen" |
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| 2010-5-12 - hi Karl,
what a great group of artworks: so colourful, happy and full of energy and
LIFE! I should have done them myself, great affinity with my taste.
these colours seem to be so exotic, so "un-swiss", or so I imagine. I might
be so wrong, of course, please tell me which is correct. Ernie G, Australia |
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| 2010-4-21 - Kompliment, gefällt mir ganz toll deine neue Serie. Ich finde, die Bilder
wiederspiegeln die tollen Frühlingstage und die Natur die in allen Farben
und Formen erwacht - grandios! Lass es weiter funken im Mattebord!
Liebe Grüsse,
Urseli und Familie, Switzerland |
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| 2010-4-17 - Dear Karl,
I love this new work! It's so animated and optimistic, and expresses Primavera beautifully and the hope that comes with it. I'm curious in how you achieve the illusion of torn pieces. Is the white applied after you do an all-over painting? Astrid F, USA |
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| 2010-4-17 - karl,
you are full of energy,
bravo on this series,
i like these very much.
the compositions are not statique at all now and the torn edges less fussy and more natural.
keep up the good vibes.
best from tom b, Switzerland |
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| 2010-4-17 - hi karl -
beautiful! i especially love no 2! delightful and moving. all the best
- ted k, USA |
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| 2010-4-17 - They look good Karl but the photos are very large on the email. I should get to see them on your site or on Facebook. -
Marc S, USA |
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| Series "SOGNO 2010 " |
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1 - onirico |
2 - acquatico |
3 - orientale |
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5 - binn 1 |
6 - binn 2 |
7- binn 3 |
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| 2010-4-5 - Ciao Paps,
Tes miniatures ressortent pas mal du tout : très joli. L'or, le rouge et le bleu contrastent bien avec les poutres noircies de l'atelier au soleil. Les premières sortent un peu mieux sur écran (surprise de la nouvelle technique?), en particulier l'orientale, où il faut un moment pour décrypter les différents plans.
A plus - Marcus |
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2010-3-26 - Hi Ernie,
... Regarding "sogno", I am finding this fun to do. I still have prints of previous paintings and photos that, as you correctly observed, I cut up. I had actually started with cut up pieces of colored paper that I glued on abstract painted backgrounds and covered with lots of (too much) transparent acrylic gel. It took 2 weeks for the acrylic to clear a bit and I lost patience, thinking it would always stay milky. So I peeled off the acrylic layer in pieces 2,3 and 4. In piece 1 I had the patience and, voila, now the background becomes transparent. This gives in painting 1 a feeling of depth. Shame I peeled off the others. I covered subsequent collage layers with (thinner) transparent gel, used some sand and "silver or gold" dust here and there (these are "dreams"), and was really happy with the result. I played around for a while how to cover the 4 cm sides. In the end they are shades of grey, i.e. a bluish, reddish, blackish and greenish dark grey. The sides had to be darker and tertiary so that the front primaries and secondaries aren't distracted. I also sprayed the finished paintings with clear lacquer, and now they shine in colors and gold and silver (especially the oriental one).
These 4 are 30x30x4 cm on canvas. Now I am using four 20x20x4 cm, little canvases I had bought before. I find the cut-ups of prints add structure, while still showing a kaleidoscope of painting. I wonder if it is possible to scale this up to say 50x50 cm, will try. Perhaps with a larger format it might be interesting to actually produce a collage, partially of cut-up old canvas, if I find the courage to do so.... - Karl Maenz |
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2010-3-26 - I like these new pieces. are they made of pre-painted paper and/or printed
images, cut into strips and glued on a background, ? I am not against this
kind of work, but I always had reservations when I had done similar things (with discarded paintings of mine on canvas). Cheers - Ernie H (Australia)
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2010-3-25 - Congratulations Karl! As we commented once, geometry is coming to the
encounter of the chaos of life. This is accomplished in your new work.
Specially, from my point of view, in the second and third pieces, the ones you
find more evident the shapes of your dreamed Nature [lives] on.
As always, I love your colors and the perfection of your work.
Greetings - Rosa M (Spain) |
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2010-3-25 - I like the new work a lot - the fluidity of the images suggestive of water in one case, of landscape in another, yet abstract always, giving viewers the freedom to see/interpret in their own way. Although I like all of them, Sogno 4 is my favorite. I find Sogno 3 a little too detailed. But that's only a matter of taste, not a critique!
Toujours en avant! - Astrid F (USA) |
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2010-3-25 - Hello Karl,
I enjoyed looking at your new works - intricate webs of brilliant colors and designs are striking. Each painting is like a collage of fragments of a dream. I see and smell of oceans in them all - water catching light in laps and ruffles reflecting the surrounding nature, ocean abyss with seacreatures, and so on. Bella "sogno" dell' oceano.
Congratulations and good luck on the exhibition in Bologna! - Naomi H (USA/Japan) |
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2010-3-24 - Dear Karl,
My sincerest congratulations! I think it's among your finest work yet. The word 'Sumptuous' came immediately to my mind, when I opened the link. Truly inspired; what a life affirming assent out of the darkness of the winter. Brilliant!
All the best
- Steve G (Switzerland) |
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2010-3-24 - Salut,
je trouve que ces 4 oeuvres correspondent bien à une atmosphère onirique. Bonne journée - Marina M (Switzerland) |
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2010-3-24 - Thank you for your kindness.
Your work is a beautiful, elegant arrangement of color.
I am a vast sea and look natural this work.
I pray for your success.
- Hide K (Japan) |
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2010-3-24 - WONDERFUL KARL!
Truly a great exiting leap - Bravo!
... Best wishes from us - K & T (New Zealand) www.keithmorant.com |
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2010-3-24 - Great art, Karl.
Congratulations!
Cheers - Peter K (Peru) |
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2010-3-24 - Hi Karl, ...
I really love this new series "Sogno" I am sure you will do extremely well with them. They are alive, contemplative and full of interesting information, pattern making, meditative, even a feelling of history of the medieval. Lots to say about them, really beautiful. They reveal their own narrative. Congratulations Karl! you are producing great works .... -
Enza B (Australia) |
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| Serge Momot's Digital Geometry: Views by my artist friends |
| click here to view Feature Page on Serge Momot's Digital Geometry |
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March 15, 2010 |
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Flow of comments from top to bottom: |
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March 11, 2010 - Friends,
I have just added a new featured artist page, Serge Momot, Digital Geometry, please have a look: http://www.karl-maenz.com/featuremomot.html
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So far, we've featured artists (you) with mainly painterly or barely minimalist styles, but still painted (or sculptured, thanks Marieta), and now, digital art (exceptions: Ted Knerr has worked with digital composition, David Novak has a couple of images that combine digital and painted art on his feature, "marriage between minimalism and abex"). Frankly, I've so far shied away from digital art: I missed "soul" - even more than in painted minimalist art. Serge Momot's digital compositions (discovered on Facebook) strike me as beautifully decorative. In the Facebook discussions, some felt a Rothkoesque spirituality. I felt a Peter Halley "neo-geo" inspiration (which Serge seems to deny). Anyway, I would love a discussion and learn from you, my much respected/loved artist friends. Suggest you cc. us all for the debate. Thanks and till then. - Karl Maenz
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From: Serge MOMOT <sergemomot@rambler.ru>
Date: March 11, 2010 22:28:48 GMT+01:00
You know Karl, believe it or not, but I don't like digital art too. In my art I want to show that it could be "alive" too. I believe it is possible after all. It would be really very intersting for me to know an opinion on that subject by other artists. As to Peter Halley, he isn't my favorite artist. He has no influence on me at all. It is may be just a coincidence. I started make what I make even didn't know who is Peter Halley. The things that could be seems not bad in paintins sometimes simply don't mutch with digital performance. It is really very not easy for me to make dgital artworks keeping it from to be "dead" art. - Serge Momot
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From: Gerzabek <egerzabek1@optusnet.com.au>
Date: March 12, 2010 02:30:48 GMT+01:00
hi Karl, thanks for the introduction to Serge's work.
digital or not, it is kind of irrelevant to me (even though I tend to read
these as "painted" images). I am only interested in the image created,
whether it speaks to me or not. well, they do not effect me much emotionally, but I appreciate the images
intellectually and the colour combinations certainly have an emotional
impact on me. btw, what are the sizes of the images; I imagine them as at
least 1m in size. if smaller, no impact for me. btw, Peter Halley is not that far off, for sure. even though Serge may not
have drawn inspiration from Peter's work consciously, there are a great
number of artists who have done similar hard edge geometrical pieces for
decades. as for originality, I have given up being dogmatic about it ... cheers, - Ernie Gerzabek
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From: Morant <morant@paradise.net.nz>
Date: March 12, 2010 04:20:39 GMT+01:00
Hi Karl et al,
I don't think that I can give much input here.
My feelings are that, in the effort towards true human communication, art must come through the physical expression of the mentality (conscious and unconscious) of the individual. It begins (as we well know) from the deeply subjective and is projected into the overtly objective. If the artist is strong and true enough in his or her humanity (and comes from an atruistic focus) then the 'object' will communicate (albeit not immediately) to other humans as a stimulating and nourishing force.
Now from my point of view, when another instrument is brought in to facilitate this expression then, by necessity, there has to be a greater level of conscious conceptuality than unconscious intuition. For me, this is a step away from the truth and real purpose of human contact. The deeper and more meaningful levels of achievement in art come from human to human
empathetic communication concerning the human condition. This is never attained through conscious 'design' and, like the camera, the computer cannot produce a 'true' work of art. At least, not one that will survive as a stimulation towards a better quality of life for the future.
This is why that certain 'coldness' is felt when you view digital art. You know unconsciously that you are looking at something
that is not completely human and is therefore void of life's mystery.
Of course, in todays world, digital art has its heroes and many are aspiring to emulate them. Yesterday it was Cecil Beaton and today it is the Weta Workshops (the creators of Avatar).
No - the fine line between art and sheer illusionary technique is very clear to me (and has been since Victor Vaserely and Bridgett Riley) so I can only say good luck to Serge Momet. I am sure that - whatever blows his hair back - is no bad thing! Cheers....K
www.keithmorant.com
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From: ted knerr <tk@art-spirit.net>
Date: March 12, 2010 04:54:34 GMT+01:00
hi karl -
my first thought is why are you exhibiting serge's art if you feel it's "beautifully decorative"? and the way you've presented them strung out in a row emphasizes the decorative -
my feeling is they show what a clever mind can create - and that i'm unmoved without connecting to serge's inner being and the loving energy of God's universe - i think serge can do better than this by opening up to forces beyond his ego - the greatest artists know this -
..... when I am submissive and modest - I feel surrounded by someone who makes me do things of which I am not capable - all art worthy of the name is (spiritual, or) it is nothing more than a document - an anecdote ........ henri matisse
..... something sacred - that's it - we ought to be able to say that word or something like it but people would take it the wrong way and give it a meaning that wasn't intended - we ought to be able to say such and such a painting is as it is with its capacity for power because it has been touched by God - but people would put a wrong interpretation on it ........ pablo picasso
although these words were written a hundred years ago people still don't believe them - ted
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From: Karl Maenz <karlmaenz@mac.com>
Date: March 12, 2010 05:50:56 GMT+01:00
Hi Ted, Keith, Ernie,
I feel like you in this, can't connect to the artist's soul. Interesting: Serge stipulated he wanted only his works shown, they were to speak by themselves, no words please, which I respect.
In a previous discussion (on FB), several contributors saw a spiritual dimension, as the colors vibrated with each other. Something like Rothko? I threw in the Peter Halley connection, though Halley makes a social statement (we're imprisoned by machines) which Serge would not reveal. Well, that started my interest, though it did not have this effect on me, but I became curious. What was I missing? And the compositions seemed to be so clever I thought it was interesting to hear your reactions.
Thanks, I understand what you say.
Also, I somehow believe that when irreconcilable poles are shown next to each other - such as showing the painters' painterly against the minimalist with the help of the computer, it creates a creative space, so the juxtaposition may be interesting, witness your heartfelt reactions. Keith has an interesting point, if I understand it well, in that if you use the computer, it actually emphasizes the need for empathy, human involvement etc. Our friend Marieta Reijerkerk, I feel, does this juxta-positioning so well, and it comes across intuitively, not machine designed. On the other hand, most of us are "old school" artists, full of "soul". To try and understand minimalism (What in the world was Richard Prince's exhibition at the Guggenheim, etc. ?) I came across Kirk Varnedoe's book "Pictures of Nothing", which describes and defends modern art after Pollock:
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8234.html
I do not share Varnedoe's enthusiasm, but I do understand his analysis, a mirror of our materialistic, "soulless" times (though, do I wish to live this life?).
Enough for now, thanks Serge, you are helping to generate brain- and soul-waves here, and some of us are caught in the middle. - Karl
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From: StephenGostt <smgostty@yahoo.ie>
Date: March 12, 2010 10:05:02 GMT+01:00
Hi Karl,
I won't join the discussion, but I do like this guys stuff. It put me in mind of De Chirico/Briget Riley/Matisse etc. He has a sophisticated touch and obviously an artists eye. I don't really have any difficulty with this kind of stuff: He's good; much other in this 'style' isn't.
As far as digital/computer etc, it's not really a long way from Warhols screen prints. I actually like 'pattern' and believe this is still capable of 'meaning' & 'soul' (Klee's rhythms; fugues etc).
Saw on the news yesterday an artist creating 'computer game' art! Worlds within worlds?
Interesting times?
Steve
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From: correu <correu@narval-collections.com>
Date: March 12, 2010 11:57:29 GMT+01:00
In principle any way of expression should be welcome. Every one of us has a
different background and sensibility. But for me to work with the materials,
with the "mater materia", to "touch the soil with bare hands" as Rilke once
said, is a invaluable experience and decisive for my work. Geometry is in the
nature and many cultures (including ours) tried and try to find it. I'm tired of the ones who said "art is dead" as painting and sculpture is
dead, "long live to the performances, installations, digital and so on". Every
exhibition is a performance and a installation (painting, sculpture or
whatever). Who has experience know this. I think there is room for all of
human expressions through Art. Greetings to all,
- Rosa
Rosa Mascarell Dauder
Egg Tempera and Gold on Panel
www.narval-collections.com
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From: info@suusart.nl
Date: March 12, 2010 14:02:26 GMT+01:00
'The straight line is human, but the curve is Divine'
'La ligne droite est la ligne des hommes, la ligne courbe est celle de Dieu'
Antoni Gaudi
- Suus Suiker
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From: "Astrid H. Fitzgerald" <ahfitzge@bestweb.net>
Date: March 12, 2010 15:21:23 GMT+01:00
I completely agree with Rosa's take on Serge's work and her view on art in general.
I just want to add: I don't see his work as minimal, but much more in the 'modernist' and 'suprematist' tradition, based on "intuitive reasoning" and "intuitive will" as Malewich called it. Yes, Serge's work seems a bit cerebral, but adding brush strokes doesn't add "soul." Consciousness travels beyond the speed of light, hence conscious intent may enter the work even through digits and pixels. What the bleep do we know?
Would Malevich or Mondrian have used Photoshop to create their work? We'll never know. I think Serge's work is far beyond decorative. I particularly like its boldness, the use of color and relationship of space and design. It would be interesting to know what the size is. Large would be good, larger even better! - Astrid
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From: David Novak <david@dpnimages.com>
Date: March 12, 2010 15:57:28 GMT+01:00
Karl et al,
I wrote this note to myself before I sat down to study Serge's email to Karl.
Peter Halley's paintings are interesting. However, to me, he is guilty of painting the same painting over and over again these past 20 years. No growth. They look boring because they are born out of boredom. yada yada!!! Can you say commodity?
For me the problem with painting geometric abstractions is a limitation on how far geometry can take you in the creative process. The longer I work with geometric abstractions in painting or digital, the more I become very aware that the process of coming up with new designs becomes less creative and more mathematical. After some time I am left with an overwhelming question that I ask my self over and over; now what?
Today I found myself wondering around the house somewhat frustrated that I haven't produced any art yet this year 2010. I stopped in my tracks and said to myself, "I have been making art on the computer; digital paintings and working on some digital photography. However, It doesn't feel like I have done anything because all of this art making has been in the virtual domain of computerland." I guess that I come from the old school that in order for it to be art you have to be able to touch and smell it. What does a digital image smell like? How does it feel to the touch? It becomes real when it is printed on paper or canvas or translated into a painting/drawing/etc with paint and similar 2d art making materials. Then you can touch and smell it. At this stage it also has dimension and weight.
How one relates to digital art is ===== ?????? what? How? In the end, sometimes for me, all geometric art feels dead when compared to a robust AE painting. However, this is like comparing oranges to walnuts.
Finally for me, I will take the contrary position on digital geometry. I love it. I get real excited when making virtual digital geometric images. I don't like to paint enlargements of them using computer tracings or the classic enlarging grid to scale up the image so a painting can be made. Then there is all that damn color matching because you have to at least try to translate the colors as seen on the monitor to paint as seen on the canvas. This process drives me nuts. Now that I have a decent pigment inkjet printer, I enjoy seeing the digital paintings printed to a decent scale along with a decent monitor-to-print color balance. I see my digital painting and digital photographic manipulations as more graphic entities than paintings. Also I like the idea that storing digital paintings do not take up any space in my painting racks. I produce digital prints on a "demand" basis. When I need a print, I make it, frame it, etc. Otherwise the images are stored on my external hard drive.
This is how i see it today 1:37 AM 3/12/2010.
Later guys.
David
Oh! to see some of my digital painting and photography, go to my site and roam the paintings of 2004 - 2006 and my digital image pages. You will see that I don't stay too close to the geometry thing. I like to add curves to this also. Click on links below or go here to start. Hmmmmmmm!!?? Why am I thinking that geometric painting only covers images made up of lines and planes whose edges are parallel to the sides of a rectangle? Maybe to me geometric painting is some form of Malevich? Maybe the box is where the minimalists took geometric painting?
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From: Gerzabek <egerzabek1@optusnet.com.au>
Date: March 14, 2010 22:34:16 GMT+01:00
This is a most puzzling statement, if I understand it at all.
Two points especially I would like do raise:
(1) The statement "the computer cannot produce a 'true' work of art" is
irrelevant and nonsensical, nobody ever asserted that the computer creates
an artwork. In the image-making process an artist can use a computer, a
brush or spray painting equipment, only the medium and the technique is
different, but the artistic input, the creativity is the same. "A computer
is only a tool, you fool" as some people may put it more bluntly.
(2) When this discussion started, as triggered by Serge's images, we only
relied on assessing his artworks by seeing them on our computer monitors.
If we were not told that they were created using a computer and printer,
would we have discussed the merits of the process or the creativity and
artistic merit of the result? Would some of us have bogged down on
discussing the comparative merits of digital versus traditional materials?
Could have anybody, like Keith, come to the conclusion that "certain
'coldness' is felt when you view digital art"? Why is technique and process
considered more important by some people than expression and creativity and
artistic merit? Cheers, - Ernie
visit my websites
www.Ernie-Gerzabek.com
www.AbstractLandscapePaintings.com
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From: "Astrid H. Fitzgerald" <ahfitzge@bestweb.net>
Date: March 14, 2010 22:37:18 GMT+01:00
Right on!
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From: Morant <morant@paradise.net.nz>
Date: March 14, 2010 23:10:13 GMT+01:00
Well - I walked right in to that one didn't I! Going by you response Ernie and the twistng of one sentence completely out of context - yes I agree with you -
it would seem puzzling to you and obviously, as you say, you do not understand it at all. - Keith
www.keithmorant.com
Tel: +64 3 9816355
M: 0212221234
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From: "Gerzabek (Artist)" <art@ernie-gerzabek.com>
Date: March 15, 2010 04:35:01 GMT+01:00
"Interesting" response, thank you Keith.
If I am accused of twisting, I did not start it, and certainly I did not intended to do it. Maybe I got caught up inadvertently in the twisting whirlwind of your propositions and theories. Which, (by the way Keith, you are right), I did not really understand as meaningful or useful. Did anybody? Please somebody help me out here.
Probably my mind is too simple for this high-brow theoretical art-talk stuff, I should just stick to listening to what the real masters have said. So I reproduce a few quotations here from my web :
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. Charles Mingus
The painter should not paint what he sees, but what will be seen. Paul Klee
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. Aristotle
Abstraction is real, probably more real than nature. I prefer to see with closed eyes. Josef Albers
Abstract art places a new world, which on the surface has nothing to do with 'reality,' next to the 'real' world. Wassily Kandinsky
Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot physically see with his eyes... Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an explosion into unknown areas. Arshile Gorky
I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly'. Vincent Van Gogh
What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter. Henri Matisse
- Ernie
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From: Morant <morant@paradise.net.nz>
Date: March 15, 2010 05:13:22 GMT+01:00
Thanks Ernie,
All of your quotes are from true artists and worked from the extension of their mentality and emotions through their physical activity - not a camera, computer, spray can or mechanical device anywhere....no debate here - I rest my case.
Cheers....K
www.keithmorant.com
Tel: +64 3 9816355
M: 0212221234
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From: Serge MOMOT <sergemomot@rambler.ru>
Date: March 15, 2010 10:25:42 GMT+01:00
Thank you Karl for interesting discussion.
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From: Fran Mc Cann <franandmary@eircom.net>
Date: March 15, 2010 11:19:48 GMT+01:00
Hi Karl, you certainly got things moving along with this discussion, well done. and now I feel I world like to throw in my twopences worth, using the words of the "Archdeacon Gary Hastings" when he opened my last exhibition.
You can’t record music and crack. You can’t preserve it and keep it. You can make things which make the same noise that music makes, but it’s not real music. You might as well try to nail fag smoke to the wall. Real music, crack, doesn’t stick to plastic very well and won’t survive in a jam jar even if you put holes in the lid. Real music happens here and now and is the way it is because it’s you who are here, and not someone else. Because this musician has turned up and that one couldn’t come. The room is just right, the musicians have had just enough drink, or adrenalin or emotion or whatever it is to make the music go this way rather than that. And it will never be the same again. Ever, ever, ever. Bits of plastic and tape and computers can make noises like music but it’s not music. Don’t be fooled. Music is not just noise. For music you have to be there, you have to be close enough to smell the musicians, and maybe even get splashed. Real music is part of reality, a sign of it, something that perhaps even causes reality to happen. Music might even be what your soul would sound like, if you could hear a soul. CD’s, videos, can’t do that. They mask reality, make you think you’re there when you’re not. Real music’s not hard and shiny and smooth and always eternally the same. It has more in common with a dacent pint of stout or a good laugh or a long breath of cool fresh air in and out again, or a big feed. You have it and then it’s gone. All’s left after real music is the aftershock, the buzzing in your head, the sweat drying on your skin. It’s something that happens, and you happen to be there for that, or not.
When I paint and I know a lot of artists feel the same way, I can smell the paint, I curse and worry and laugh and talk to and at the work as I move along, also when I am on the computer, I curse and worry and laugh and talk to and at the computer, BUT I do not smell the computer or the work comming from it. Long ago an artist was a creative individual, to day if you hit a computer button then you must be an "artist" at this rate everyone will be an artist and creative individuals will be a thing of the past.
To be honest with everyone out there, "I really do not apprecitate the Emperors new cloths" Fran Mc Cann.
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From: "Astrid H. Fitzgerald" <ahfitzge@bestweb.net>
Date: March 15, 2010 12:02:46 GMT+01:00
Thanks for starting this discussion...sparks and all.. Those are great quotes about abstract art sent by Ernie Gerzabek. Wish I'd included them in a book of quotations which I wrote pre-computer and pre-Goggle. Now that Karl started sparks flying and I have your attention, I'd like to mention (shamelessly so) "An Artist's Book of Inspiration: A Collection of Thoughts on Art, Artists and Creativity". Now available in Chinese!
AN ARTIST'S BOOK OF INSPIRATION
A Collection of Thoughts on Art, Artists, and Creativity
Compiled and edited by ASTRID FITZGERALDLINDISFARNE PRESS - 1996
256 PAGES, PAPERBACK
ISBN 0-940262-76-2 - $18.95

This collection was gathered during one person's life of making art and studying the spiritual traditions of the East and West. It is filled with the best thoughts on art, artists, and the creative process, drawn from various traditions, times, and places. It is intended to serve as a guide and an inspiration for all those who want to be reminded of the sources of creativity amid the fractured confusion of the contemporary scene.
From the reports of mystics to the observations of scientists, these passages have been arranged in this volume to provide brief glimpses into the recesses of artistic being, into the tentative formations in consciousness, the first glimmers of imagination, the distinctive faculties of the creative mind, and the tensions of artistic expression in the workshop and the creative life.
Fitzgerald’s great contribution has been to gather into a meaningful collection the words of 1,500 years of genius as a resource and inspiration for all those who would break out of creative limitations and take a bold step into the future.
Available on amazon and b&n
Wow! Fran, you're cracking the conundrum wide open again...not just sparks, but splinters. Ouch! - Astrid Fitzgerald, New York
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From: info@suusart.nl
Date: March 15, 2010 15:21:40 GMT+01:00
It is all about the energy within. Not about the material.
It is not important what you paint or how you paint, it is important you put your soul into it. And when your art is capable of calling forth the intended emotions then it is truly a piece of art. -
Suus Suiker
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| Exhibition at Geneva Dentist office |
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March 2010 |
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The Rhone Dental Cabinet, largest and most prestigious dental clinic in Geneva, Switzerland, is currently exhibiting a dozen of my works from the series "mandela improvisations" and "1001 nights". The exhibition serves to help make the dentist visit a more pleasurable experience. |
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How wonderful for you and the patients! Dentistry has just been elevated to a cultural experience par excellence!
Bonne chance! I would be surprised if you didn't find collectors through this venue. Your work, somehow, looks even stronger when hung in a home (here an elegant dental office) than on a gallery wall. Your dentist sounds very enlightened and progressive. Mon, dieu, my dentist, a very capable Chinese woman, has nothing else going for her, except making lots of money. When I told her I was an artist, a blank look came over her face. The offices just wouldn't lend themselves for showing art. We do live in a backward country!.........A.F., New York |
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Karl:
Belle exposition. Je n'aime pas generalement aller chez les dentistes mais vos peintures m'attirent. -
Marc S., Philadelphia
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| Super,
alors j'ai presqu' envie d'avoir mal aux dents....
ha ha ha - Marina |
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| Exhibition of "Two Poems - Two Journeys" at Tenisch Showroom, Binn, Valais, Switzerland |
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This exhibition of "Two Poems - Two Journeys" in the Binn version consists of "mygeo 14", acrylic on canvas, 100x100 cm, and 80 elements acrylic on wood, 25x25 cm. The smaller elements show Bob Dylan's *Romance in Durango", and Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken". The exhibition is in collaboration with Tenisch Design Furniture, at Tenisch's showroom in Binn, Valais, Switzerland. December 2009 through February 2010. |
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2010-01-13 - Hi Karl,
The installation looks impressive and beautiful. It is a museum piece.
You have a fountain of creativity and can keep going with this series!
I'd like to see the enlarged version in person and Ahren would like that
too. He loves your paintings - when he ran around in the hall ways of the
exhibition in Ferrara, he stopped in front of your installation every time! ... Naomi Hori, New York, USA |
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| "Imaginary Journeys" - International Art Exhibition, Estense Castle, Ferrara, Italy - 24 October - 1 November 2009 |
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| Another beautiful edition of this annual event. 76 painters, photographers and sculptors, from 24 countries around the world. Over 200, mostly lyrical abstract works of high standing. And a fabulous venue at the Museum of the Estense Castle. This annual show of invited artists is curated by Trevisan International Art (TIA), under the direction of Paola Trevisan. |
| I exhibited the enlarged installation "Two Poems - two journeys", overall 220 x 220 cm, and 49 paintings. The paintings show two poems: Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken, and Bob Dylan's Romance In Durango. |
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| 2009-12-16 - Dear Karl,
How are you?I am Hide friend of Naomi. I participated in the exhibition of Ms. Paola. And i won Critic Award . My father was sickness, and i not able to go to Italy . My father died on December 7. I was not able to do because I was busy though I wanted to send you mail earlier. Your art feels the throb of the life. You have a great talent. Your sense of color is excellent. You will be praised from the world as a great genius artist who represents the 21st century. If your site and my site can be linked, I am honored. And, if you give me your address, I send the Christmas card. I pray for your success and happiness. - Hide Kawabata (Japan) |
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2009-11-26 - Hi Karl,
Your last message re 'Kelly' prompted me to have a look at your site.
I can honestly say that I am very impressed and amazed at your recent progress.
As an obsessive compulsive creator myself, I am acutely aware of the deeper anxieties and potential traumas inherent to such practice. With this in mind, I would just like to send you a word of encouragement and say that your journey, in spite of its ever recurring doubts, is well worth while. Remember - soon you will be dead - it is after this that your gift will come into its own.
Until that time - as Cezanne told us - 'Salvation is in the work'.
Yours is a unique and very special path - travel well.
Bravo my friend! -
Keith (Keith Morant, New Zealand). |
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| have you "binn" there? - click on a photo to view swissinfo.ch slideshow of the mountain paradise where I paint |
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| Wow! What a beautiful slide show AND a great finale, featuring a fine artist. Hope this brings some appreciation of your work as well as some business. CONGRATULATIONS! - Astrid |
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| karl,
thanks for sending.
bravo well done.
the dialog the photograpy the timing the sincerity is excellent.
best - tom |
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| Thanks Karl, what a beautiful video! I hope it brings many people to Binn, especially wealthy ones with a keen interest in abstract art !!!!!!
All the best
- Steve |
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| eine WUNDERSCHOENE slideshow, and surprise ! our famous painter in an
authentic and very honest interview. congrats, your curator is proud of her
kitten !!!!! - Mireille |
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| Thank you - wonderful stuff Karl!
Did you produce the video? Bravo if you did.
Looks to be a really idyllic situation for the artist - us city wallers could envy you!
Looking forward to catching up again soon.
Best wishes from us both....- K and T |
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| thanks karl!
wonderful to see and hear you in your beautiful alpine habitat - congratulations on having this under the auspices of swissinfo - ciao ........ ted |
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| great coverage of the local scene, and even better featuring a terrific
artist. well done Karl!
cheers, Ernie Gerzabek.
visit my websites
www.Ernie-Gerzabek.com,
www.AbstractLandscapePaintings.com |
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| Salut, Bravo pour le film!, and, yes, "I HABE BINN THERE"! - Marina |
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two poems - two journeys |
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2009-08-26 - Karl,
Interesting Literary connections. I got confused when I read your words in email about "installation". My mind's eye did not connect to what you presented as a visual on your site. For what it is worth. Abstract painters have to be careful about making direct literary connects through words to their art. Since abstract images make no reference to a pictorial reality, which in many ways contains elements of the literary, it is difficult for someone outside of your experience to see, feel, and interpret your image the same way you do. It is more fun if you let the observer create his/her own set of references to the image. We all see different pictures in our minds when we hear the same music. When a painter starts to explain their paintings using selected words, a sense of lost confidence, to me, is communicated. Also I think this sort of exercise is a reflection of frustration with a seeming (or real) lack of interest in one's work by average Joe. And Average Joe also runs galleries these days; also in the past. Yikes! I just re-read the above. What was I thinking?All this being said. I like the images organized as a set. Also this is a nice problem to work on. Keeping an idea alive over a set number of paintings is a challenge. You have done this very successfully, I think. Your line seems to be taking on the personality of shape. Keep on trucking! - David Novak, USA
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| 2009-08-27 - Hi Karl,
great colours, vibrant combination, summary, happy and so Alive!
well done, I love them all, both together and separately.
cheers - Ernie Gerzabek, Sydney, Australia |
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| 2009-08-27 - Hi Karl,
There is certainly some truth to David's comments. I don't think an artist should be too literally literary. On the other hand literature, especially poetry, has been closely associated with art. Just look at all the new artists books coming out and the collaborations of past great literature with artists.
I do think there is no need to make such a CLOSE connection to the poems you use. A title might be sufficient to allude to your inspiration. But then again, I was not familiar with Bob Dylan's poem which moved me to tears. So thank you for offering it!
Lastly, I LOVE the two series whether separate or in combination. I do feel, however, that fewer pictures might be better so as to give each piece more importance and room to breathe. Each piece is so rich and complete in itself, so they don't need support from each other.
Keep up the good work! - Astrid Fitzgerald, USA |
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2009-08-28 - Interesting exchange, and thanks for your ideas. My friends sometimes call me “a typical Gemini”. I confess I know little about the signs of the zodiac. But could “A Long Way With Romance” accidentally reflect what is said about a Gemini – seeing the yin and the yang, complementary opposites within a greater whole.
Two poems inspired me separately, and then I combined them for this installation: Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”; and Bob Dylan’s “Romance In Durango”. There wasn’t an intellectual design, but I spontaneously found the whole greater than its parts.
And, although snippets of these poems appear, that’s how far I wish to go. Because, isn’t it more fun if you let the observer create his or her own imaginary journey. - Karl Maenz |
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| 2009-09-03 - Beautiful piece. It is interesting to see how each square is both an individual painting and part of a flow like waterlilies. The empty white space or grid also has an optical figure ground effect. - Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA |
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| the art of nora |
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2009-07-19 - Our grandchild Nora, 7 years, is currently vacationing with us at the chalet, and has begun to create beautiful watercolors, on exhibition at our workshop in the mountains. Although several have already sold at the opening, a few of the artworks are still offered to collectors around the world. - Karl Maenz |
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2009-07-19 - Je vais vous mettre en contact avec notre petit musée, le Metropolitain, à New York.
Nos félicitations à Mademoiselle Maenz! - Michael Steinitz, Canada |
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| 2009-07-19 - hi karl -
nice paintings by nora! thanks for adding my painting on the page - and for the link -
ciao ........ ted, New York |
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| 2009-07-19 - Chère Nora: Tu fais preuve d'un bon sens des couleurs, et j'apprécie beaucoup ta joyeuse
attitude. Je sens que cela te fait plaisir d'explorer ce monde magique.
Continue, exprime-toi de cette manière artistique, tu iras loin!
Your Personal Curator - Mireille, Mont-Pèlerin |
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2009-07-20 - Nora's work is beautiful and so is she! The colorful work shows artistic talent, single-mindedness and daring. Wonder where she got that from?
My 7-year old grandchild was also visiting and spent most of her time in my studio. I definitely have to turn her loose and let her use my acrylics instead of colored pencils.
- A., New York |
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2009-07-20 - Même si je ne suis pas peu fière de revendiquer une partie du patrimoine génétique de cette jeune artiste, je dois reconnaître "neidlos" que la verve et le sens des couleurs viennent clairement du patrimoine mänzien. J'aimerais bien réserver le premier tableau en haut à gauche pour son jeu subtil avec l'espace, le tableau tout en bas au milieu pour l'énergie sans restraintes qu'il contient, et le m-14 pour la profondeur de perspective, l'harmonie et le repos de son motif ordonné et la fraîcheur d'une brise de mer qu'il m'inspire.
Avec mes remerciements et salutations respectueuses pour les artistes,
Corinne, Genève |
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2009-07-27 - “I would like to congratulate you for your colorful and creative artworks revealing their power through the force of colours, through the different effects of forms and gestures and the pictorial matter. In your paintings imagination and creativeness are released through the flow of the living and acting forces on the canvas, the interaction of spaces, forms and colour connection, taking them beyond to their physical limits.” -
Paola Trevisan, Art Critic, Italy |
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2009-07-27 - Es ist höchste Zeit , dass auch Frauen in der Kunst sich einen Namen machen. Sämtliche Voraussetzungen sind bei Nora vorhanden. Wir dürfen gespannt sein auf die nächsten Bilder.
Wir wünschen Euch noch viel Vergnügen.
Bis bald, Margrit und Urs aus Bremgarten, Schweiz |
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| the "mandala improvisations" discussion |
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K Maenz: m-10 (2007) |
K Maenz: m-11 (2009) |
K Maenz: m-12 (2009) |
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K Maenz: m-15 (2009) |
E Gerzabek: mandala 733 |
T Knerr: 2009-16 |
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| 2009-07-28 - "Karl, this painting (m-15) looks like a combination of your two different formats. A more geometric one on top of your more painterly approach." - Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA |
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| 2009-06-19 - Yes, a great discussion, indeed. I don't really have much to add to what has been so carefully expressed and critiqued by the "group of painters."
Of the last four works no. 11 is still my favorite - for its tremendous energy and "in you face" quality. You call it a gentle subversion, but I see it as a rigorous subversion of the original intent of visual mantras, which were meant to still the mind. Please understand: this is by no means a negative, as I'm sure you know! If the work has the power to shake viewers out of a state of lethargy, it will have achieved a very positive thing. All your mandalas are an expression of your enthusiasm and joy-de-vivre - something we can all use a little more of. So, thank you, Karl, for what you're doing. - Astrid Fitzgerald |
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| 2009-06-19 - Karl and company,
Mandala 14. I marvel at your patience and tenacity to develop work around a central theme. I have tried this in the past but usually get restless after a few paintings and move on to something else. I think this has to do individual nervous systems and not art. But isn't art about individual nervous systems? What we are is a very big element of how we develop and make pictures.
Aside from discussing the detail of a painting or paintings, I tend to look for the big picture, first, then move to the detail. Of course, the big picture would be muddled at best if the detail wasn't carefully crafted. This you do very well. For me, then, the gifted technical handling of form, space, color, brush stoke (where needed), the happy accident (when it happens) is all there and makes all of the "pop" happen. Believe me, the "pop" is very difficult to achieve in an art work/s. Not many folk that are engaged in making paintings rise above the pure technical to achieve a marriage of the self to the work. This you do exceedingly well. I had a student who described the "pop" in a painting as the "burn". She would refer to color shapes, color edges, paint application and tool relationships as "burn". To her a successful painting had "burn". I said to her, "Do you mean by burn, heat?" She said yes. Wow! burn is good.
Actually this is what I like about this group of painters. We are all very different in our aesthetic preferences and how we attach these preferences to our work. The diversity and quality is very high. We all attach our selves to what we make. To me, this is indeed art making that flies far above the simple technical life of a good amateur. Burn is good.
Carry on everyone!
David Novak |
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| 2009-06-19 - hi Karl and Ted,
interesting and happy-making comments from both of you. I am grateful for your observations and feedback and the lovely discourse about such art subjects.
it was a surprise Karl, when you referred to my approach as "Ernie seems to strive primarily for balance and harmony, and he expresses it (in my interpretation of him) with harmonious patterns and colors, all executed with perfect precision".
whilst this may be true, and i am happy to wear the mantle, i also do lots of other stuff as well, which is completely different in my opinion. here are a few examples:
intuitive childish scribbles http://www.ernie-gerzabek.com/099_child_play_abstract_artwork.htm
free-form colour explorations with accidental effects http://www.ernie-gerzabek.com/461_finders_keepers_painting.htm
fantasy doodles http://www.ernie-gerzabek.com/713_scramble_mad_painting.htm
dramatic underwater colourscapes http://www.ernie-gerzabek.com/321_under_blue_sea.htm and
stylised semi-abstract landscapes http://www.ernie-gerzabek.com/375_remembered_desert_semi_abstract_landscape.htm
do not be alarmed by my protestations, but it is important to me of not being restricted too much by being pigeon-holed in a small space. i have many directions i like to explore and the geometric designs are just one area. this is also true of your artistic endeavours Karl and Ted, so we are in the same boat for this reason as well. i really appreciate the company and the mutual respect we have for each other's artistic output. and this also includes Astrid, Marc and David of course, even though they have not contributed to this specific discussion so far. warm regards, Ernie Gerzabek
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2009-06-19 - Ernie and Ted, many thanks for your comments. Ernie's delicate work
733 is an "arabesque" par excellence, with its intricate mathematics,
as seen in the patterns of traditional art of Islam (Isphahan,
Alhambra, ..) . And its execution is of the highest order.
I sometimes think what may describe the three of us (actually dreamt
of it last night), i.e. what differentiates us, though we seem to
enjoy listening to each other. I may be wrong, but Ernie seems to
strive primarily for balance and harmony, and he expresses it (in my
interpretation of him) with harmonious patterns and colors, all
executed with perfect precision. Ted may be the most pronounced in
spiritual awareness, and sees artwork at the service of (or as a
mirror of) attaining spiritual growth. Technically, he seems to build
on the theories of Kandinsky, spiritually on the metaphysics of
Mondrian. See his latest beautiful work at
http://www.art-spirit.net/
I can't honestly strive for Ernie's harmony and perfection; nor Ted's
spiritual intensity; but enjoy work in a "free" space, without a
mission or even awareness of harmony or spiritual advancement; simply
an expression at the time, influenced by lots of "stuff" (visual art,
readings, music, commercial images, experiences, etc.). Anyway, these
are very personal observations, and you know I admire both of you very
much. - Karl |
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| 2009-06-18 - hi ernie and karl -
what a joy your mandalas are! especially, to me, ernie's 733, with
its lovely subtle pulsations and delicate colors! and karl's m11 with
it's very powerful electricity of color and unexpected dis-symetries
that keep one off balance!
what a pleasure you must both get in having these in your daily life
as inspiration to your higher selves! ernie: i love your statement on
this with 733!
ciao ......... ted knerr |
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| 2009-06-18 - Nice work Karl. I like the changes in color and paint application that happen around the center. Contradicts the optical side. You compare them to jazz by Miles Davis but behind the coolness in his music, he always had emotion. These paintings do too. - Marc Salz |
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2009-06-18 - Hi Karl,
I like them all, but m11 is my favourite.
I would like to make comparisons with my mandalas, eg.
http://www.ernie-gerzabek.com/733_mandala_geometric_design.htm
Both your and my mandalas have patterns symmetrical (four ways with four
axis), but your colours are symmetrical only in respect of one axis,
whilst
my colours are not strictly symmetrical, but repeated exactly with
degree
rotation. does this 90 degree rotated repetition has a name? I just love m11, the composition is so balanced (by the nature of the
concentric geometric pattern?), at the same time there is a dynamic
tension.
in it which really appeals to me. Warm regards, Ernie Gerzabek
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| 2009-06-18 - Dear Karl,
You are obviously 'in the groove' again! I think I like M12 the best:
fabulous tension between the 'undisciplined' lower layers (background), and
the very cleverly pitched colours of the more 'disciplined' foreground
geometrics. Almost touching Op-art in this one! Brilliant!
I notice it's all large scale too, which takes a certain amount of
commitment/bravery to pull-off.
Great stuff, Steven Gostt |
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| 2009-06-18 - Beautiful work Karl, will you show it in Ferrara. - Rosa Mascarell |
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| 2009-06-18 - Friends, unexpectedly I continued to work on metamorphoses of the
mandala theme, and the latest (m11, m12, m13) can be seen by clicking
on the last three in the left hand column:
http://www.karl-maenz.com/mandala14.html .m11 came out actually very beautiful, with so many subtle shades of
red and blue. m12 frankly was inspired as I glanced through Peter
Halley's colorful geometrics. I had started on it and the 14 year old
son of a friend came and we discussed which color and where, and this,
more or less was the result, a bit of youthful coloring. m13 is
altogether different - it's really cold, like a jazz piece played by
Miles Davis, and it strikes me as more conceptual than what I usually
do. At first I thought this needed more work, but then I started
liking it the way it is. The three are all acrylic on canvas, 100x100 cm (39x39 inches). - Karl |
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| the road not taken 2009 |
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| 2009-03-05 - Your installation at the last show in Ferrara was really good. Can't wait to see new artworks from you inspired by your journey to Africa!. - Paula Trevisan, art curator |
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2009-01-06 - Fabulous, absolutely mesmerizing paps ... - I love the unrest in it - and
yet, there's lots of rythm and harmony, and it's much more personal - even
intimate - than "inside story" ...
just can't stop staring ... great work, bravo - the curator (this one from my dear wife!)
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2009-01-07 - I really love your small Treasures! I am myself hooked and like to paint in this small format. One of my small Treasures, represented at the exhibition in Bologna, is now on Manhattan International Arts online exhibition "Celebrate the Healing Power of Art 2009", also Maryana is represented and one of the "topwinners", and I among the "award of exellence". It´s a good thing for TIA, don´t you think? - Gunilla Lofgren (Sweden)
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2009-01-13 - Karl,
what I like about about this large new work is that, although each piece could stand on it's own, it forms a whole, a unity that almost belies the fact that it's made up of 20 panels. It's both beautiful and interesting. I often wonder how you get these works to hang so evenly. I'm sure it's a pain in the neck, unless you have some secret technology -- Velcro or magnets? It's worth trying.
Keep up the good work,
Astrid Fitzgerald, US |
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2009-01-15 - FANTASTIC!
What a wonderful series! Of course, dear old Frost was right - the road of poetry is a hard choice. Here is something of Frost:
Having finished a particularly good meal, Robert Frost and his dining companions went out onto the balcony to look at the sunset. "Oh, Mr Frost" gushed a young woman, "Isn't it a beautiful sunset!"
"I never discuss business after dinner" replied Frost. Cheers....Keith Morant, New Zealand |
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| 2009-01-18 - Very nice presentation Karl. Bonne Annee! - Marc Salz, USA |
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roccia 2008-9
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roccia-1 |
roccia-2 |
roccia-3 |
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roccia-6 |
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2008-06-24- ... I just l o v e your latest pictures, the small ones in combination with the roccia series - incredible and breathtakingly beautiful. your compositions make me wonder - enigmatic stuff yet joyful and as sweet as a gentle evening breeze. congrats - please cling to this great roll - go on and on and on and on ... T (CH).
2008-06-20 - Karl, David, all very true. However, I personally never think about painting THE perfect picture. I'm afraid that if I ever achieved such a goal I would die, I mean kick the bucket. Look what happened to all the greats in music and the arts! To me, the next painting is just another take on an idea or concept - an exercise to do it better, perhaps. There are a handful of paintings - mostly constructions - that I consider to be "very successful", a culmination of a body of work. But trying to achieve greatness has never served me well. I haven't had the time to paint (I'm revising my great American novel...ha! ha!) and I'm going bonkers. Painting is such good therapy. More than that -- food for the soul. Keep up the good work, - Astrid (New York)
2008-06-20 - Karl, Mmm, I'm not entirely sure what this exchange is all about. If we're talking about your new work, the 13-piece Assemblage, all I can say is, GO FOR IT! I like it a lot. Each individual piece holds up by itself. Yet together, the pieces come to life even more. They seem to be talking to each other and invite participation...what would happen if you put the grey one on the other side? what if you were to . . . etc. But don't let the buyer decide how to arrange it! It's entirely the artist's prerogative. It's almost certain he/she would mess it up.
I guess you know the sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. He certainly deserves the fame when it comes to working with nature. There is an amazing movie about his work.
http://images.google.com/images?rls=DELA,DELA:2006-07,DELA:en&hl=en&q=Andy+Goldsworthy&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title
Okay, what's next........A (New York)
2008-06-18 - hi karl - i like both of these - the titles are ok but i don't want to put much interpretation on looking at paintings - as dekooning said, 'it's very tiny, content' - i just want to feel the painting and yes, they feel honest - and beautiful - something real there - fine work - ciao ........... ted (New York)
2008-06-18 - Karl, I find this set of pics very interesting; high energy. What a contrast to all the shit (pardon my French) I see in the USA at this time; at least the stuff that the commercial art community is pushing right now. We (they to be more specific) seem to be interested in carrying the pop art crap to a final death roll. For me, artists here in the States seem to be lost.The work, in way too many instances, is pointless kitsch. How sad. Maybe this will be the final downfall of the American world enterprise; all wrapped up in self indulgence and surface glitter; a fine-finish-fetish that has no meaning to anybody. Sorry to be so negative. I know that there are very serious artists out there in USA, and the world for that matter, that will rise to the occasion and move the ball forward. At the moment there doesn't seem to be any champions promoting serious art; at least here in America. Do we need a new Clement Greenberg? A final thought: Interesting turn about here. Now, the Japanese influence and low brow art (in all its forms) is trying to take center stage. For years Japanese art was heavily influenced by advertising art or similar art structures and film (film advertising) born in the USA. A reversal seems in play; American art influenced by Japanese animated images and other goodies. This is an interesting filter? It will have its day then disappear. I especially like the disappearing aspect. For me a lot of this kind of energy was played-out back in the 1960's/70's with the psychedelic hippy trippy art. Egads, why make a revisit!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Am I being one sided here? Probably. Sorry about that! enuff! Love this work. Some serious Zen here! And its Green! Any links to more of this? - David
2008-08-18 Karl, I have to echo Ernie on feelings for gemmini paintings. I like them too. It is a funny thing about accessing quality in a painting or group of paintings; it all comes down to just that, a feeling. Technique(s) can be all over the place, good or bad [you are a superb technician]. All this being said, a painting either feels right or it doesn't. This is a very Zen environment. When the Zen master touches the blank white page and fuses an energy to this page, if we are Zen savvy we feel this energy too. Now when the painter also has the power to fuse the energy to a painting or group of paintings, as you are doing now with the Gemini set, we (as savvy observers) get the feeling too. GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is a down side to this too. We as artists strive to make that perfect painting and continue to make painting after painting but never seem to arrive at that perfectness. Sometimes we know when we make a connection; sometimes we don't. This frustrates me no end. Most of the time I don't have a clue to what I am connecting to when I make a painting. On any given day I either love what I am doing or hate it. To me, making paintings is an exercise in sheer schizophrenia. Up one day thinking the work is just great, and down the next day after realizing that the moment somehow wasn't captured in the first place. What do we do? We move on to the next perfect painting.
I remember when in graduate school I hung out with the writers because they weren't my competition and vice versa. They were always talking about writing the Great American Novel. I don't know if we have the same goal? I don't know what the Great American Painting is. However, I do think our vanity strives to create at least one masterpiece in our lifetime. Yes? Why else do we paint?
Yes, why do we paint? Making art is an addiction; an over used cliché. For me there is a truth in this cliché. If I were asked on the Johny Carson show --- why do you paint? what does your painting mean? I would sit there staring at the camera like a deer in the head lights. I dunno!!!!!!!!!!!
Where am I going with this? Karl, at the moment you are pulling up some energy from deep within your soul and getting this energy cemented in a painting or group of paintings. This strength is powerful and we feel it too. Kudos.
Later, David
2008-06-16 - oh yes! great pieces, i love them. three dimensional for sure, and to my mind very alpine, ie growing out of your environment. a touch of snow, a bit of melting slush and splashes of spring and summer colour. never mind gemini!?
when you say you are painting honestly again (as if you did not before) does not make sense, other than that you are now more directly responding to the swiss alpine "feel". this is my off the cuff response, and not necessarily meaning that you did not already responded in similar ways by your previous output.
in my humble opinion, the locals, ie "snow conditioned" art lovers will very favourably respond to these works. they may love spanish colours, but alpine sensitivities may touch their hearts more. is this far fetched thinking or am i right?
i would appreciate you letting me know any future response you receive which confirms, or otherwise, my theory.
by the way, why two different sizes, 80 and 100cm? unbalanced two halves of gemini?
cheers, Ernie
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landart in the twingi gorge, switzerland
2008-06-20 - Karl, thanks for sending the images of the LandArt exhibit. What a
delightful idea and event. I'd love to organize something like this
here on the Shawangunk Ridge. What tells me not to go there is my
dread of having to deal with the NYState Parks Department. The
devastation from the fire earlier this season is all too evident and
the authorities don't want to deal with crazy people like artists.
... Astrid
2008-06-18 - hi karl - thanks for the photos of your alpine friends and their art - very fresh and enjoyable - an invigorating plunge into nature for a noo yawka :) we have our parks, but nothing like this - and zero snow in june! ciao ............ ted
2008-08-14 - ... I’ll send you my photos of “LandArt”, that I made the other day. To access Binn, you used to have to walk through the very treacherous Twingi gorge (since 1970 or so there is a tunnel). Everyone I’ve talked to here has a story, how they had to walk for long hours through the snow in an emergency to get help from the valley, and everyone has a relative who got killed there from a snow avalanche or rock slide. But since they are all related in the valley, the victim(s) may be the same person(s), don’t know. Anyway, Binn now is a “regional park”, and organizes cultural events (concerts, reading of old tales, exhibitions, etc., soft tourism). Each year “LandArt” is a summer exhibition of contemporary installations or sculptures in the Twingi gorge.
The wild but friendly guy on the photo, all in black, long hair, with the background of a circle painted on snow in the gorge is Ulrich Bloch, a professor of art at Freiburg, Switzerland. He just called and wants to come and visit Thursday, and talk art. The circle is on snow, and the snow is on top of a circle of rocks he had either found (naturally) or put there last summer, next to the Binna, a wild river in the gorge, that flows into the Rhone. So, the snow circle will disappear with the melting snow by August/September, and the rock circle will appear underneath instead, clever. A temporary installation (see the little sign in several languages that he put up to explain things).
When I said I paint honestly again, I mean I paint spontaneously, without a plan, and without a conscious intent “wow, I can sell this”. That is what is meant. Only honest paintings come from inside, the rest comes from the (empty) pocket book.
Oh the size, I just happened to have run out of 80x80 and had 100x100. Now beginning work on 55x55. I think of combining them all, into installations (probably compositions is a better word), of paintings of different sizes, 100x100, 80x80, 55x55, 25x25. Two 25x25’s fit on the side of a 55, 4 on the side of an 80, etc. Dreaming of an exhibition with a large wall covered like a mosaic, and the buyer could choose what he/she wants, and re-arrange the pieces.
Enjoy the slides, I’ll report on the encounter with Ulrich Bloch.
Karl
mandala improvisations
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2007-10-01 - Still busy with m 10. At first sight, m 10 seemed mainly decorative, less intuitive than others. Frankly, I wasn't sure what I had done here - nor were some of my friends (see below). We've put it up in the living room, all by itself on a white wall a couple of days ago. As time goes by, I feel strangely attracted to it: Is it its puzzling composition, its opposites of monochromes vs. patterns, hard-edge rigor vs. automatic painting, its various shades of light grey, the larger canvas size (100x100 cm) ... and I begin to really love this painting. Mmmm - Karl
2007-09-26 - Ted, thanks for your thoughts and advice, which I value a lot, as you know. I understand what you are saying, and you describe so well what happened. With increasing consciousness, these paintings (especially m9, m10) lost some of the “outside influence” (I understand what you mean here). I sensed this while I was painting. But I wish to explore new combinations, with some technical and intellectual discipline at this stage. With continued painting, much should become more automatic, conscious control will slacken, and – I hope - the “divine” will re-enter. Ted, like you, I seek the spirit in art, not “pictures of nothing” nor anecdotes or simple decoration. And you are a continuous inspiration in the spiritual. Thanks again, Karl
2007-09-26 - thanks karl -
i notice m3 seems muddier in color (compared to the same brushstrokes in m9) but then realized the image is darkened - probably to bring out the faint lettering at the center (which i feel would better have been omitted anyway as it subtracts from the unity and creates a mental distraction that confuses the viewers eye and mind) - i don't see what was so 'sloppy' here except maybe this lettering - i think it would have been beautiful if you had painted out the lettering with white -
from your description it seems to me your mind was buzzing with so many ideas to continue your series that you lost touch with your intuition in your impatience to get the ideas on canvas - very understandable - but this results in an 'interesting' painting rather than a deep one (m9) - only by approaching the work with quiet humility does the artist get the mysterious help that allows him to go beyond his own ideas and abilities into the realm of genius - you may think genius is a word you wouldn't apply to yourself or your work but i would disagree - to me genius is available to anyone who takes a spiritual approach to their work (in any field) - it's not a matter of skill or intellect or sweat but of allowing and nurturing this outside influence that we can refer to as intuition but is really the universe or god or life expressing itself through you - resulting in a quality that can be recognized by all since it resides in us all - but our ego won't feel this since it threatens the ego's domination of our lives -
so when i said 'outside influence' i just meant outside our conscious control not outside our being - we're obviously part of the universe - which means part of life and part of god - all these are synonymous - it's only god as wrongly defined by our religions as separate from us that is a terrible and frighteningly judgmental old white, bearded man keeping score to determine if we go to hell when we die - this 'god' is what makes atheists out of so many - and creates so much hatred and fear of other religions -
i think your first mandalas partake of genius - they knocked me out with a 'shock of recognition' - this universal resonance - but when i wrote to you about my enthusiasm you didn't seem to understand my meaning - instead of valuing their depth you rushed off in a spiral of new ideas and clever extensions that lost touch with the life in them and in you - no harm done if you recognize what's needed and seek it out again - then it will be an important step in your development as an artist - it's your choice to make - where do you want to go? -
ciao ........... Ted Knerr, New York, USA
2007-09-25 - Ted, attached is the comparison m3 (DSC_0871.jpg) vs. m9. M3 was too sloppy and I didn’t find a way to rescue it as it was, so I used it as a precursor for m9.
Also look at this page to read how I got from m1 to m10 (probably to be continued):
http://www.karl-maenz.com/mandala11.html
Ted, I’m aware of the danger of giving up some of the intuitive in this process, but I wish to explore the next step from free-style abex. I wish to stay non-figurative. To do this, the way I function, I need to be able to express what I am doing, as in the page above.
Personally, I am quite happy with what’s going on here. It may be a process leading to something better, and I find it satisfying. But I enjoy your thoughts. In a way, you are often my light in the darkness, with your emphasis on the spiritual. I’m more reticent than you are in the exercise of “spirituality”, but always thankful for your thoughts. -
Karl
2007-09-25 - hi karl -
my feeling is that these are getting less satisfying with all the fun and games -
the brain loves playing with complications and leaving the soul behind -
the intellect wants to drown out intuition -
so whether a series or not, a new painting should be approached in a meditative state rather than an intellectual one -
again matisse's words come to mind - and picasso's: Matisse: When I am submissive and modest, I feel surrounded by someone who makes me do things of which I am not capable. All art worthy of the name is (spiritual, or) it is nothing more than a document, an anecdote. - Picasso:
Something sacred, that's it, - we ought to be able to say that word, or something like it, but people would take it the wrong way, and give it a meaning that wasn't intended. We ought to be able to say such and such a painting is as it is, with its capacity for power because it has been touched by God. But people would put a wrong interpretation on it.
ciao .......... Ted Knerr, New York, USA
Dearest Karl, I hope that Indian summer treats you and Mireille and I'm convinced
that it is delightful to be in Binn this time of the year - lucky
you ?!!
Talking about indian summer, to me - ... -
your mandalas' 6 and 8 have sort of an "indian (first natives)
spirit" to them. Quite franckly, I love your way to change
drastically from one "movement-painting" (if I can say so) to a quiet
and "simple" painting - I really love 6 and 8 for their relaxed and
non-complicated freshness and, for me, humblelittelwhatsoever,
meditation asks for simple, beruhigend forms .. What impresses me
most is the difference between 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 (I mean the basis'
theme) and then 6 and 8 ! Chacuns de ces mandalas rayonne par sa
force, son charactère, sa gaieté et sa beauté.
I just love them. Have fun and.. cheers to your painting - Katja Goumaz, Switzerland
Hi Karl, congratulations on your 2007 series „mandala“ and „here comes the sun“. I am fascinated by both…..Beautiful colours and expressions! - George Haag, Switzerland
... I like your new work. If feels involved heady stuff from deep within. GREAT!!!! I'd be interested in how you feel when you work on the new images compared to your older more AE images. When I was working in the neo-geo mode, my thinking didn't come close to my thinking as I work now -- or before the neo-geo period. For me the neo-geo thinking wasn't me. But, you seem to be involved here. Kudos. We must go where the muse tells us to go. Ain't life Grand? - David Novak, USA
wow! these are really beautiful karl! i love your introduction of white areas inside the paintings - they feel so otherworldly and strong - especially 1 and 2 - and i like your trying for new ways to frame your paintings - the rusted iron plate works very well on the earlier one but the white driftwood here doesn't quite come off for me - i feel the cracks intrude too much strong detail to maintain a balance with the image so it seems forced - do you think random disk-grinding an aluminum plate might work here? perhaps a clear-anodized plate? my main impression is that you're continuing to break new ground in an exciting way - not just in your own development but in a fundamental way that's producing a vital new thing in the contemporary art scene - congratulations! and keep following your bliss! doors are opening for you and it's exciting to watch! - ciao ............. Ted Knerr, New York, USA
Beautiful work Karl. I do like the ones that mix both hard edges and painterly backgrounds best. Number 7 is a good example. Keep going through the journey. - Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA
Dear Karl, I like your mandala paintings very much,maybe most No. 4 and 5. I have been dedicating manythoughts on Buddhism lately - a philosophy that is growing close to my heart. Cheers, - Peter Koenig, Washington DC, USA
Hi paps, 4,5 and 7 have a nice hypnotic quality on screen... wonder what it looks
like for real. - Marcus Maenz, Geneva, Switzerland
Ernie & Karl -
right on the mark - i had the same feeling of seeing a new thing - not a traditional mandala or a revision of an existing modern approach - there's something here that grabs me in a new way - inspired!
ciao .... Ted Knerr, New York, USA
Cher Monsieur,
Merci de votre message. Vous travaillez beaucoup, en pleine inspiration. J'ai bien aimé l'un de vos mandalas, fragments de ciel et de lumière. C'est en cette saison que la lumière est la plus belle. Profitez-en.
Avec mes meilleures salutations. -
Danielle Junod-Sugnaux, Nyon, Switzerland
I love Mandala 6 - in a most beautiful way it says "completion" and, interestingly, it supports and gives gravitas to the entire series. Keep it going!..........A
ooh yes, I like it a lot. completely original (ie I do not know of anything like it from other
artists), different (ie new direction from your previous approaches),
resolved composition, complete and self-contained and uplifting. these are the points I am looking for in an artwork. geometric but hardly rigid, colour scheme is pleasant but not boring,
regular two way symmetry yet dynamic. keep exploring! - Ernie Gerzabek, Sydney, Australia
Yes, I do like your updated web site. I find mandala painting no 5 quite magical. It's contemporary, yet has an Eastern flavor. By the way, I don't think any of these works need frames. I like the idea of the Tibetan tankas (a form of mandalas) which are made of fabric so they can be rolled up and taken with you. Not suggesting you should go without stretchers. Keep up the good work! - Astrid Fitzgerald, New York, USA
here comes the sun
Karl, your "here comes the sun" series is refreshing - elegantly eluding all cliches and literal depictions of the sun. Rather, the motion and energy in the works evokes entering into the nature of the sun - the nuclear reactor 'par excellence.' It's not surprising that you have moved to the mandala - a tool for centering and contemplation. After all, the sun is the center of 'our' universe.
I had a query about the 'flower of life' design and I'll send a copy of the links on sacred geometry I sent off to the fellow in Scotland. Not suggesting you should follow a traditional design...just some background. I've abruptly ended my series on Egypt. The weather calls me to hikes in the wilderness and work in the garden. I invite comments: http://www.astridfitzgerald.com/mixedmedia-4.htm - Best, - Astrid Fitzgerald, New York, USA
Thanks, Karl, for keeping me on the copy list. Great paintings as always. Of the sun series I still like No. 3 the most, followed by No. 1. - All of course is a question of taste - and I must say - they are all great. I guess, they also reflect the mood, your mood. In my case, it would definitely be like this. Cheers, - Peter Koenig, Washington, USA
Karl: Congratulations on this new series. I like the constellation connection in these. There is something about opposing small details(like dots) against a vast area that I identify with. A new breakthrough. – Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA
Lieber Karl, herzlichen Dank dass du uns mit deinen Bildern Freude machst. - Heidi Stoffel, Geneva, Switzerland
I like all of them, but love 0627_2 (sun 3) most of all. So much energy, it is unbelievable! Your style Karl now seems to be your own. I certainly cannot see what artist you may be "paying homage to". To me it is pure Karl Maenz. Any other opinion? – Ernie Gerzabek, Sydney, Australia
Oui Karl, c'est vraiment très, très beau .. tu as à faire à une fan - c'est vraiment - comment dis-tu déjà - F A N T A S T I Q U E .. je crois que c'est ton mot, non? Je me vois déjà en position de lotus au milieu du magasin (la lévitation ça prend un peu plus de temps) - je pourrais tout aussi bien donner des cours de yoga au milieu des meubles Lambert - ça pour une pub - images le .. tableau .. ? ! Au plaisir de te revoir bientôt – Katja Goumaz, Bogis-Bossey, Switzerland
Karl: C'est vraiment tres impressionant. Vos oeuvres et votre studio. Felicitations et continue a peindre dans ce paradis dans les Alpes. – Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA
hi karl - what a great place to live and work! you've done a marvelous job and your work is expanding to fill the dream of who you are as an artist - only your spiritual growth could account for all this plenitude :) i look forward to your continuing upward on your path - you're 'in the zone' as arthur ashe used to say, and roger continues to demonstrate - keep making the right choices to stay connected ! the zen of zone maintenance ! :) i love this whole page outlining your development - it's great to look back on and see the steady creative drive and serious pursuit of step after step toward fuller and fuller expression - the early work is full of talent and sensitivity and the new work is amazing! keep a loose rein on your control and you'll continue to astonish yourself and all of us - as matisse said, i believe in god when i'm working - call it what you will, there's a force out there you're riding - and it has nothing to do with religion - or science or logic either, for that matter - … - Ted Knerr, New York, USA
Dear Karl, Your new studio is wonderful and shows off your work well…. - Virginia Austin, onboard Stargazer, USA
J'ai vu avec ravissement qu'il y a de nouvelles créations splendides qui ont vu le jour en quoi - une semaine - ?? Elles sont m a g n i f i q u e s , j'ai hâte de les voir "en vrai" !!! - Katja Goumaz, Switzerland
1001 nights
Bonjour cher Monsieur Maenz,
vous ne devez pas vous faire de souci......... nous sommes enchantés par ce tableau (king shahirar).
Ce fut un 'coup de foudre' dès le premier regard, autant pour mon épouse que pour moi-même. C'est un vrai plaisir que de le contempler et se laisser envahir par sentiments et imagination.
Nous l'avons positionné dans différents endroits de l'appartement pour lui trouver le meilleur emplacement. Il faut en effet pouvoir prendre un peu de recul pour vraiment l'admirer.
Nous nous réjouissons de découvrir vos prochaines oeuvres, aussi bien chez Adidonrack que sur votre website. A ce propos, tenez-nous au courant de vos projets d'exposition ou de vernissage ( en Suisse, ou à l'étranger..). Nous vous souhaitons donc inspiration, créativité et tout le succès pour le dévelopement de votre carrière d'artiste.
Bien sincèrement,
Yves & May D., Coppet, Switzerland
Hi Karl - I like these a lot! You're on a roll! But one quibble with no 52 (demon danash) - after the first strong color impression, the biological overtones of blood vessels is a bit bothersome - these start to destroy the space for me - jump forward and are so busy and detailed they demand too much focus - maybe they shouldn't bleed - what do you think? ciao ......... Ted Knerr, New York,, USA - http://www.art-spirit.net
Karl, "moving a bit toward structure" -- this seems to be either a blessing or a curse for abstract painters who tend to make images from an organic
position. I move back and forth between something that is structured to something that is more free... this cycle has recycled itself for me for over 40 years.... see http://www.davidnovak.com/specialpapers1990-2007/graphsandotherthingspopup00.htm This is a popup windown accessable from
http://www.davidnovak.com/specialpapers1990-2007/specialpapers1990-2007v5.htm
I like both of the new paintings. I think you have to follow where the
intuitive path takes you. If you fight it, then the work will suffer ... - David Novak, USA - http://www.davidnovak.com/
Love 34 (princess budur), the larger patterns work just right! The colours are beautiful and evoke watery worlds. in my opinion 35 (demon danash) is not hanging together very well, the red is far too different and the patterns of the red are too different as well. Mind you, sometimes such 'inconsistencies' or surprises make the a painting more dynamic and alive. but in this one? - Ernie Gerzabek, Sydney, Australia - http://ernie-gerzabek.com/
Karl Heinz, ich denke du wirst immer besser, hättest wohl noch früher die Arbeit bei DuPont hinschmeisen sollen. Ich war ja immer ein Fan deiner Diamanten, aber jetzt mit 1001 kann ich mich nicht mehr so richtig festlegen ... - Bernd Dolde, Oestringen, Germany
Hallo Karl Heinz, herzlichen Dank für Deine regen Email-Kontakte! Damian hat die Bilder voller Begeisterung in einen Ordner herauskopiert. Auch er nimmt sehr Anteil an der Schönheit Deiner Werke. Ich bin gespannt auf die nächsten blühenden Ergebnisse Deiner schöpferischen Ausdrucksstärke! - Ursula Ulrich, Baar, Switzerland
They're gorgeous! I had a grand time going backwards and forwards between the four new images. Your skill with computer design adds to the magic. I see more definition, almost form, in your newest work. My favorite remains "king sindibad" - Astrid Fitzgerald, New York, USA - http://www.astridfitzgerald.com/
Salut Paps, trés joli ce tableau, nouvelles couleurs. J'ai vu dedans 4 personnes dans mon premier regard, beaucoup de choses, super. Mais c'est quoi le nom du tableau? - Naama Gasser-El Gouchi (I named the painting "forty thieves").
Hi Karl - two beauties!! The bottom one (aladdin?) seems to be a departure from your recent work in its unique spatial qualities - fascinating to let my eye play in the delicate spaces within spaces - pulls me in very invitingly and then has many treasures within - I definitely feel something happened here
beyond intentions - even beyond the intention to have no intentions! :) What creativity is all about! I'm really delighted for you! Thanks! - Ted Knerr, New York, USA - http://www.art-spirit.net/
Amazing KH! - Hans Pfaeffli, Swaziland
Beautiful display Karl! Congratulations. - Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA
What can I say - a true and steady artist. 40 thieves is my favored. But all are great. - Peter Koenig, Washington, USA
I like them, they are great, but you seem to be getting too settled in your 'comfort zone'. There may be a time soon when you need to explore new approaches, new explorations, completely new areas to search and express accordingly. Be brave and be prepared to be thrilled by the NEW! (I wonder what will be your response to this 'push') - cheers, Ernie Gerzabek, Sydney, Australia
... about the painting "younes": Thank you, Karl. I went straight to the new painting and was moved by the tenderness it conveyed - like a veil of peace and healing. It certainly captures your intent at reconciliation with the Islamic world which I subsequently read about in your statement. - Astrid Fitzgerald, New York, USA
Karl, splendid work! I particularly like the colors in "king sindibad" which catch the flavor of Persia the most. Looking forward to the next 996 nights. – Astrid Fitzgerald, New York, USA
Hi Karl - beautiful work! I like it that you've found a way to express the noble side of Islam … you connected on a deeper plane – which is healing not only for you but all of us, both Moslem and non-Moslem - but this is what real art is about - I know you're a real artist in spite of thinking yourself 'only an amateur' - ciao – Ted Knerr, New York, USA
Dear Karl, I like Shahrazad - always did!!! Great paintings. Will you make it to 1001? Cheers and perseverance! Karl, again, and again, my sincerest congratulations and respect for your paintings, and as your friend said - putting Islam on a positive plane, as it certainly is, will give your painting special meaning. Keep painting - and the context is indeed a positive complement. – Peter Koenig, Washington, USA
Wow Karl Heinz. Du haettest schon frueher umstellen sollen! … - Hans Pfaeffli, Swaziland
Karl, my favorites are King Shahriyar and Shahrazad. They affect my eye in a positive way. Take care – Virginia Austin, onboard Stargazer, USA
Karl-Heinz, sehr schön, ich muss die Bilder doch irgendwann mal live sehen, … - Bernd Dolde, Germany
Great stuff, only 996 to go!? Keep going, I like the series. – Ernie Gerzabek, Sydney, Australia
… We really appreciate your "1001 nights" paintings! … - Pedro Meirles, Portugal
We wish you to come (paint all the way) to the 1001st night. I like best the first one. Maybe the last one will be the second best for me! – Peggy & Toma Madzarevic, Algarve, Portugal
Salut Karl Heinz, Bravo et à bientôt sur un parcours de golf. Amitiés – Olivier Peitrequin, Switzerland
.. j'apprécie l'aspect très vif et coloré. Dans ma tête "les milles et une nuits" seraient représentées par des images plus douces, plus nocturnes. Mais encore une fois c'est "l'inculte du coin" qui parle ... – Marina Maenz, Etoy, Switzerland
Karl: Very nice work. Some of your best to date. I am also getting interested in more micro details through Indian painting. I like their miniatures because they include so much: joy, danger, eroticism, beauty etc... I am getting a stronger pair of glasses for the studio so I can better use my fine brushes and get into the details. Sort of the opposite of Kline and De Kooning who used house painter's brushes. But in a way the same. – Marc Salz, Philadelphia, USA
About your site, it is true what your fellow painting friend says about your new 1001 painting; and I think what we need more nowadays is a multicultural mentality, and you contribute a lot for it (did you hear the first music of Paul Simon! "How can you live in the northeast?", it has something to do with the theme). Lets keep in touch… - Pedro Meirles, Portugal
Karl, while we all seem to be busy all the time, some of us seem to have a GREAT TIME while being so busy. Congratulations. – Frans van Mourik, Switzerland
They are beautiful – William Ferrero, Switzerland
Karl, Ton site est vraiment d'une qualité extraordinaire. Tu as beaucoup évolué sa construction depuis ses origines. Je le trouve aujourd'hui intéressant, car on atteint un point d'équilibre où tu es pleinement présent tout en t'effaçant complètement derrière le travail réalisé, derrière les références que tu nous donne (livres, photographies, etc, et qui sont excellentes). Je suis impressionné par la qualité et le soin que tu y mets. Bonne journée, - Frédéric Rauss, La Rippe, Switzerland
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