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It has been teasing me. Since I've been doing it.
After a while all other art techniques I was using got less important.
And mosaic art became my form of expression.
And then one thing led to another. My own studio, being artist fulltime...
...and now making mosaics is all for me.
It's important to me that diverse materials run into each other. To have a sort of play and movement in the work.
I love to combine glass and ceramics for example, because the different surfaces contrast nicely.
I want to focus on that mix of materials by combining mosaics with painting, graphical work and linocut.
In other words combining all forms of arts that have been with me for all my life.
I have begun this work by forming the outer shape of the figure.
You can see that the mosaic flows. This is common to all my works.
Before I begin a mosaic, there always is an inspiration, an idea, something that touches me at the moment.
Details of a photo often are the starting point of project.
To find out what I want to do exactly, I combine drawing and digital media, for example.
And then, at a certain point, I feel that I have found what my heart aims to do.
I do not have a final work in my head. I let the materials speak, I react on what I see.
The work changes in the process of producing. And at the end, often I am amazed by the result.
This was the first important work I produced. It was featured in the book 'Mosaic Fine Art Portraits'.
At that time I worked only with glass and focused a lot on the effect of light and shadow.
My new works are more colorful and play with different structures.
I guess the unconscious moments in the working progress are very important.
It's like at the end something has been created by itself.
The colors just emerge by themselves. I didn't plan to use purple here. But then I thought: No, I definitely need purple!
I don't like giving my works any names. I want people to use their own imagination.
Of course, there is a person that has inspired me for this work.
But I don't want to communicate all this. I want everyone to make their own thoughts.
Let's say someone has a change in life before him.
Maybe then some details of this mosaic like a white map will make him think of a change in life.
It is very important to me letting people use their own imagination.
In Leipzig, you find the 'Spinnerei', an important arts centre with the well-known 'Leipziger Schule' works.
There are lots of studio buildings, artists, people from all over the world.
That's why I love Leipzig.
Mosaic Art is not very common in Germany. But in my eyes that's a great chance. People love new things.
I think what we as mosaic artists must do is collaborate with artists from other artscenes.
Instead of stewing in our own juice, we have to go out and participate in exhibitions, art awards etc.
It's not the role of the public to discover us. We have to present ourselves to the public.
I have had two exhibitions so far.
One took place in the 'Staatliche Studienakademie Leipzig', a wonderful building in which today a University has its seat.
And the second exhibition took place in the 'Spinnerei', or more precisely a hall where people learn to shoot with bow and arrow.
It was a group exhibition together with a photographer and a painter, all focusing on women.
The women in the works interacted with each other in a fascinating way.
Although I don't produce my works with this intention, I want people to be touched by my work.
It's great to see people looking at my works, admiring them, or just standing still and letting the mosaic inspire them.
Some people touch the works or change their position to see the reflections the mosaic produces.
These moments are very exciting to me, because they make me realize that I communicate to people through my work.
When you stand right in front of a mosaic, it is an abstract work.
And the more you step away from it, the more you see shaded edges, reflections and other effects.
When this mosaic was seen first by some people in an exhibition, it lay on a table.
So they just saw the details and mistook it for a map.
Only afterwards, when the work had been hung on the wall, they realized: 'Oh wow, this is a human face.'
Meanwhile, I have a team of family and friends who provide me with new material. This for example is a tea pot which was given to me by a friend.
But I am always searching for new material.
If something inspires me, I bring it home.
The material works by itsself.
And at the same time making mosaics requires a strict preparation process.
I guess, that contrast fascinates me. Making mosaics challenges me. Like no other art form has ever challenged me in my life.