Autumn Thoughts

Even though September was a fantastic month, I am really looking forward to October - a month full of opposites. There are the chilly, foggy mornings followed by warm and golden afternoons; one day can have a  crystal clear an cloudless sky while the next brings a powerful windstorm bending trees and sending colorful leaves on their way. It is time for me to bring some candles out of their summer storage and enjoy their warm light during the long evenings.

Brahms symphonies are on my record player (yes, I still have one!) and I'm painting lots of deep reds and golden oranges while I know that I can't really copy the autumn rainbow that presents itself at my window. But, we love to try!

Fall Fireworks on the Lietzen Lake

"We learn from nature, just how slowly things develop
and how late the noblest of them ripen."

                                                                                           August Hermann Niemeyer

Back to Blogging!

My prolonged silence was definitely not planned - the summer months have simply taken a path that was very different from the norm.

The big news is that I have moved. After 24 years on the ground floor in the Kommandantenstrasse, I have found a marvelous loft with wonderful light and space for painting and music. Needless to say, the move itself was strenuous and trying, (lugging over 250 frames up two flights of stairs) but well worth the accompanying muscle aches. Now I look eye to eye with the squirrels and chickadees who occupy the trees surrounding our house.  Fantastic!

 

And. . . there is plenty of room for display. 

It is exciting to experience my pictures in a totally different ambiance.The brick wall is a great background, complete with all its irregularities. Hanging these pictures was about the last thing I did before taking off for a bit of R&R with family and friends in New York, so I was especially pleased to return to Berlin last week and see my "new" gallery.


 As in Kommandantenstrasse, my studio will be open for customers - just phone to make an appointment.  Info is posted in my profile and on the KlangArt website. 


speaking of which . . . I'm looking for a bit of help and coaching on updating said web presence. . .  something like "CSS 101" . . .
In my new environment, I have  been busy fiddling and painting - the interesting architecture of my apartment is really inspiring.That means that there will be lots of new works to post here in the coming months.

 . . . one last thought . . .
Three things to help conquer the troublesome difficulties in life: Hope, Sleep and Laughter.

                                                                                                     Immanuel Kant                                                              

April Flowers

After a long absence, I was was able to spend Friday evening painting with my group of friends again. We experiment and hatch out new ideas - give support, praise and a bit of critique - and have a good share of laughs, too.  All in all, it is a wonderfully creative atmosphere.  While one of my fellow artists was pondering over how to paint a dandelion gone to seed, my thoughts turned to Oskar Koller- one of my very favorite watercolor painters.  Koller was occupied with capturing the essence and strength (Kraft) of a situation.  His forms and figures lack many details, but are full of energy and color. . . a source of inspiration for me and, for anyone who hasn't come in contact with his work, definiitely worth checking out.

The combination of Oskar Koller and the dandelion problem led to my "April Flowers." Let me know what you think. .. . I would love to hear some feedback.

While doing a bit of research, I ran into this quote from Hedy Lamarr:

"A good painting to me has always been like a friend.  It keeps me company, comforts and inspires."

Nice thought.

Exhibit in NY

I am  in the lucky position of being able to participate in the upcoming members' show at the Artist Knot Gallery. Have a look at the website and the gallery's facebook page.  Lots of interesting artwork.  Simultaneous to the members' exhibit, Celtic art is being shown in the front room of the gallery.

You are most cordially invited to the reception on April 20th, from 6-8:30 p.m.

Wish I could be there, too!

Change

I think it is called "going with the flow."  After almost 24 years in one place, the Lang household is moving. .  .  not very far, but still a major undertaking.  There is a tremendous amount of sorting of treasures to be done.  And lots of laughs and tears while doing it. There are boxes of memories that haven't been touched in years. So, now, my motto is "one more look, and then into the bin!"

 It is, indeed, the nature of moving on - closing one chapter and starting something new.  I will definitely miss my favorite neighbors and my wonderful garden - my little paradise away form the rest of the world - but am all the more looking forward to my new studio on the top floor of a small house. There are big windows and a perfect spot for my art work. I will be able to look out at the tree tops while painting and watch the squirrels and birds at eye level.  It will be a good change and give me a brand new perspective on my work. And friends are definitely invited to come and see the new studio, too.

I am really looking forward to the challenge!

Spring Garden in Blue

For my readers in Germany, I also have a small exhibit at the moment in the Gutsmühle in Minsleben/Wernigerode.  Under the title of "Frühlingsgefühle" (Spring Feelings) I have several of my newest watercolors and a few old favorites on display.  The mill is unfortunately not open on a daily basis;  send me a mail (info@klangart-online.de)if you are in the area and would like to see the exhibit.  I'm sure we can arrange something.

Spring Garden in Green

My thought for the day comes from the French author André Gide;

"Man can not discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."

Spring

Spring is here; the garden is showing its brightest colors - daffodils, crocus and scilla are enjoying the sun's warming rays.  A pair of turtledoves has returned and are cooing devotedly to each other.  On my windowsill, even my amarylis has decided to blossom. . . a bit late, but all the more imposing with its deep red blooms.  It seems as though the whole world around me has suddenly woken up after the long winter.

And on the music front, the Figaro production I'm playing in Berlin has gotten off to a great start with a full house and really good reviews.  FUN!  On top of that, I'm rehearsing for a new production of "Tales of Hoffmann." Offenbach's melodies are so familiar and still so fresh;  this show will undoubtedly also be a crowdpleaser and fun to play. Relearning these old favorites is something like rereading a good book.  Even though you know the outcome of the story, you can "rediscover" the intricacies  written into the plot. There is always something new in a piece of art, whether it be music, painting or literature.

Rainer Maria Rilke has said this a bit more eloquently than I:

     Song, poem and painting are different from all else. . .
          They ARE not. 
               They BECOME something new each time [we visit them.]
    

Amarylis - a Late Showing

Fields

As I flew over Pennsylvania last weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed the view of changing landscapes - winter to spring and woods to fields to villages and cities.  From my windowseat I had a marvelous perspective of the state.  This is nature's patchwork;  an everchanging collage of colors and textures. Each single field has its own character and life - individual, but, yet related to its neighbor. Needless to say, observing this  on a fantastic (almost) spring afternoon, has inspired me again to paint.  The new ideas are still forming in my mind, so, for now I'll post two of my favorite field impressions in watercolor and ink.

Fields

My thought for today comes from Vincent vanGogh - my favorite painter of fields:

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together."

Patchwork