Censorship in Western Society & Losing Our Freedom

Posted by on May 11, 2012 in Art, Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 2 comments I was just reading a blog post by my artist friend Janice Tanton about a tax audit that she just recently had to go through. It was painful for her. Please read her post, it’s passionate and I love how she is speaking the truth. Most of the times, auditors do not understand what visual artists do. And it’s everyone’s fault why that is. Now my thought went even further: we are...
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A Milestone in Art History: Spot Painting

Posted by on Apr 26, 2012 in Art, Blog | 2 comments 25 years Spot Painting. I just opened a bottle of champagne and a can of caviar to celebrate this milestone in art history. In fact, I am a little late with celebrating, Damien Hirst came up with it in 1986. So I should have partied last year. Maybe this was the only good thing that happened that year because all I remember is Tchernobyl, 1986. Or did he get his inspiration from the nuclear...
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Painting as a Language & Journey

Posted by on Apr 6, 2012 in Art, Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 3 comments It’s been a while since I painted last. I am not a mass produce artist and I rather paint when ideas come and I feel like it, than forcing myself and ending up with meaningless stuff (well, meaningless to me). Or let’s say: when I don’t have a question, problem, task, or am under pressure I can’t paint. My mind needs to be busy in order to paint. Painting is my way of...
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Northern Texas Tornadoes & Its Inspiration on Canvas

Posted by on Apr 4, 2012 in Art, Blog | 1 comment I am sure everyone has seen the tornado destruction here in Northern Texas, if not in person, at least on TV or online. Wow! My sister, my parents and many of my friends in Germany got in touch with me even before it hit us in McKinney. They heard that the DFW airport was shut down and people led to tornado rooms. Luckily, we didn’t get any tornadoes but we had some pretty rough storms. I...
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Can I Call A Blog Post “Miscellaneous”?

Posted by on Feb 27, 2012 in Art, Art Marketing, Blog, Everything Green, Food, Ideas & Inspiration, Living & Design, Upcycling & DIY | 1 comment It’s my blog, I can call it whatever I like! This is a little visual review of random things I did, that kept me busy in the last couple of weeks, days… Here’s a sneak-peak into the life of Franziska! Enjoy Can you change the color of your leather boots? Hell yes you can! Will they last? I don’t know but I painted my boots from purple to brown to glossy black: I made...
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Silly Things People Say at a Fair

Posted by on Feb 20, 2012 in Art, Blog | 19 comments I had another long weekend at the Third Monday Trade Days in McKinney (an antique and craft fair) with my upcycled home decor, some of my artwork and other handmade things. It’s once a month for an entire weekend before the third Monday. I love going there because of the interaction, I meet a lot of interesting and very nice people and I get to sell my items! But sometimes, there are people...
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Did you Know Monet Won the Lottery?

Posted by on Feb 15, 2012 in Art, Blog | 0 comments I am sure some of you knew this already. But for those who didn’t: yes, Claude Monet won the lottery, quit his job and painted full-time. Thank you lottery! In 1891, he won 100,000 French Francs which he used to travel France and paint, sometimes he had several studies going and worked on up to 10 pantings at the same time. There are quite a lot of interesting stories about Monet and...
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Selling Your Art Prints Online

Posted by on Feb 12, 2012 in Art, Art Marketing, Blog | 7 comments Just recently I was asked by one of my twitter friends if I could write something about art prints and what my recommendations are. Personally, I use Fine Art America for orders within the US and MyGall for my German friends. All you have to do is take photos of your beautiful artwork, upload them (for example on Fine Art America), add the commission you would like to make on each piece and they...
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Where Do You Buy Your Gifts?

Posted by on Jan 23, 2012 in Art, Art Marketing, Blog | 6 comments We all do it. I am no exception, I do it, too. We all buy gifts. There’s only a few people on this planet who do not make gifts to others. Some gifts are free (like a smile), some are hand- or home-made but most of us actually buy them. Not all gifts are useful, pretty or thoughtful. I got gifts in my life that actually made me more mad than anything. Yes, gifts can do that, too. Especially...
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Shameless Self-Promotion: Earth Pigments Promotes MOI

Posted by on Jan 21, 2012 in Art, Everything Green | 5 comments So did I mention that my artwork was promoted just recently by Earth Pigments? You all know that I am a natural tree-hugger and I do all I can to use products that are safe and environmentally friendly. Yes, this is my philosophy: be gentle with our home. As long as we have lungs, this is the only place we have. Many may not be aware of that but it’s the truth. I said it before: I...
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How to Use an Art Project to Find Solutions

Posted by on Jan 16, 2012 in Art, Blog | 2 comments I always like to keep my mind busy with ideas, inspiration and philosophy. Today I did a project that I have seen someone do on their blog -don’t ask me where I have seen it. I think it was a diy project, showing how anyone can make a beautiful piece of art for the home. So I tried and I found the process very inspiring. The possibilities are endless. First you paint on a piece of paper,...
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Ron Mueck: Introducing an Artist

Posted by on Dec 6, 2011 in Art, Blog | 3 comments Ron Mueck, born in 1958, Australia, a former photographer (advertising industry) works as a sculptor in Great Britain. He also worked as a puppeteer for movies i.e. “The Labyrinth” and TV in his previous career. Using his talents, he decided to turn his back on both to model oversize (and some undersize) humans. He is using fiberglass resin instead of latex to be able to work more...
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Why Non-Functional Art is Better Than Functional

Posted by on Nov 21, 2011 in Art, Blog | 10 comments So, now I confused you, ha! I hope I got your attention with this For all those who don’t know what the difference between non-functional and functional art is, here a short summary (which I found at WikiAnswers): Functional art is art that serves a purpose. A potter who creates tea sets is making functional art. Non-functional art refers to paintings and such pieces of art that are...
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Shock Art -Controversial or Ahead of Time?

Posted by on Nov 17, 2011 in Art, Blog | 26 comments Definition according to Wikipedia (I know, I know, not the most reliable source of information but I thought it was well described): SHOCK ART… “…is contemporary art that incorporates disturbing imagery, sound or scents to create a shocking experience. While the art form’s proponents argue that it is “embedded with social commentary” and most critics dismiss it...
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The 15 HOTTEST Male Artists

Posted by on Nov 16, 2011 in Art, Blog | 44 comments I am not going to define “hot” in detail here but here’s a list of artists I have met online and I think the stuff they make is smokin’ H.O.T. The order is random (or maybe not?!?). If you think you are hot, leave a comment and tell me why you think you should be part of this list Something like this: “I should be on the list because my art is like whiskey &...
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Do Kids Need Art Education?

Posted by on Sep 28, 2011 in Art, Blog | 4 comments What kind of a question is that? Of course they do, or maybe not? Obviously, there are people who think it is not important to educate in music and art. Or why is it that the fine arts aren’t mandatory subjects in many schools? Why is their focus more on science, mathematics and physics? Many schools don’t offer music and visual arts after preschool and kindergarten. With art...
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Why Buy Art?

Posted by on Sep 26, 2011 in Art, Blog | 3 comments Good question, I thought. I decided to think about why I buy, collect and put up art. I found a lot of reasons why others should put artwork onto their walls (“Why Art Is A Great Investment”) but I never really thought about myself. And so I looked at our walls: 1) Connection, Meaning: There is my great-uncle’s (my grandfather’s younger brother) artwork. He was an...
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Painting As An Experience Rather Than Making A Picture

Posted by on Sep 11, 2011 in Art, Blog | 8 comments One of my favorite artists once described his work as “more like I’m having an experience than making a picture.” I was thinking about having just this statement as a complete blog post, adding some of his paintings and that’s it! So much has been said about him and he couldn’t care less about his critiques. He did what he wanted to do, just paint, no comments, no explanations....
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What Is Art?

Posted by on Aug 30, 2011 in Art, Blog | 9 comments On Sunday, I got interviewed by a friend’s grandson who had to do some research about artists for his boy scouts book. I was very honored that I got chosen for his project. It wasn’t too easy to answer all his questions, by the same time to make it simple, fun and understandable for his age. After the interview, I felt more understood than by an adult asking the same questions. Not...
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Working With Clay & Concrete

Posted by on Aug 29, 2011 in Art, Blog | 18 comments In the last couple of weeks, I decided to explore some new materials that I haven’t used as much. My focus is still on painting on canvas with oil (and my favorite), so don’t worry, my colorful paintings will be around! I don’t have a clay burning oven, so I looked into some other durable materials like concrete. The items I want to make should last and take different weather...
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How To Stretch Artists’ Canvas

Posted by on Jul 3, 2011 in Art, Blog, Everything Green, Upcycling & DIY | 4 comments Before you start stretching canvas on a frame, you have to have a frame of course! Here’s a link to how I build my own frames. I usually use recycled wood from construction sites or other places (wherever I find leftovers..). The fabric I use is also recycled, any fabric I can find. The art supply industry makes us believe that only their expensive canvas should be used for oil paintings....
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Outside The Comfort Zone

Posted by on Jun 30, 2011 in Art, Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 14 comments How boring would life be if we’d stay in our comfort zone all the time? In my life, my comfort zone is what most people would call outside-the-comfort-zone. I do things that most people wouldn’t do, I live a life that is not main-stream, I like to have a different opinion and I feel comfortable not agreeing (that doesn’t mean I don’t respect what other people do or...
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How to Choose the Title for your Artwork

Posted by on Jun 9, 2011 in Art, Blog | 10 comments A few days ago, I decided to have you -my friends- decide for a name for my painting. After two days of suggesting names, I closed the proposals and the voting began giving three days to vote on my blog. Here are the names that you suggested: Majestic Horizon Beneath the Sea Air and Water Elements in Motion Where Colourful Waters Flow Rainbow of Water Caribbean Calm Ocean Glow Over and...
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Why Should You Surround Yourself With Artwork?

Posted by on Jun 5, 2011 in Art, Blog | 14 comments Did you ever wonder why people buy artwork? Did you wonder why some spend millions on one piece and others a few pennies but treasure it more than their bank account? There are many different types of personalities and their motives differ from one another in many ways. Recently, I wrote about why art is a great investment, so I don’t want to delve into this subject in this post. There are...
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My Interview at Plano Profile

Posted by on Jun 1, 2011 in Art, Blog, Food, Ideas & Inspiration | 11 comments So I was out of town for an extended weekend attending Brandy Mychals’ “Cracking the Confidence Code” -what a fabulous seminar! And when I came back, I responded to all my emails, updated my stuff online and went through my mail. And yay, there it was… Last month I got interviewed by Barbara Walch, the food editor of Plano Profile. We spent two hours talking (I mean I was...
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