Creations in Nature from Scotland
“When I came to Scotland I found it quite spectacular because of the stones and the rocks. The ocean, the dynamics of the tide, too, and all the different colours along the coasts – all these were fascinating to me. So very different from the landscape that I grew up in around Germany. There is an untamed wildness here in the north of Scotland. My work is an attempt to bring a sense of stillness to those natural dynamics of rivers and tides that swirl and flow around me – enhancing them with patterns, creations that reflect both Nature’s subtle simplicity and also its complexity of shape and form – and then set them into landscapes where I hope their presence will enhance the already natural beauty of their settings”
It`s an arrangement, an image, and finally a moment of being at peace. My installations blend flawlessly into the landscape and often appear to have been there forever.
Do I have a clear intention when I go out? Sometimes I do, sometimes not.
The Installing process itself takes around 20% of my work, rest of the time I spend ranging around, looking for places, doing lots of shots, collecting material, drawing sketches and coming back to location to find out that it has completely changed its nature.
I was waiting for clouds many hours, for the sun to come out, the tide to reach a certain level and for the wind to ease – often it makes sense to try again another day.
Photography is another important part of my art. I freeze a little moment. The right timing in combination with patience and flexibility is a valuable assumption. The never ending coming and going, creating and letting go again – the transience and unpredictable changeability in Nature is a very charming aspect of my artwork.
It`s very useful to carry some equipment around. My camera has the talent to freeze a minute into one image.
I spent ages standing beside of my tripod awaiting the right moment. Sometimes it came, sometimes not. And sometimes… I simply missed it.
I try a few things to see if there`s a balance between harmony and tension. If it works I continue developing it, and if it doesn’t I put it on hold, or drop it altogether. In this way I have created striking pieces within minutes. On the other hand, I have spent hours and days moving tons of stones for installations that turned out to be of little use.
And I never know how it turns out at the end, lots of unknowns, the moody weather conditions, my stubborn camera, an early wave flooding my canvas or a playful dog messing around – catching a moment can be a long process.
Scotland has places with great appeal for me, be it coastal areas or the course of a river – places I return to time and again. That’s where I feel at home and where I know there are endless possibilities – places with an amazing potential for environmental creations.
More to see on my Website www.creations-in-nature.com
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