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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Because I am REALLY Bored, I started a 2nd Blog…

Posted by on Feb 10, 2012 in Ideas & Inspiration | 13 comments …and no, I am not bored, not at all! I just had a big aha-moment recently. And because after an aha-moment there needs to be some kind of action, I took action and started documenting my progress in my new blog. Is there a better journal than a blog? That way I can share my experience and document my progress. It’s more for myself than anything but if I inspire someone else, why...
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New Addiction For Artists, Creatives & Visuals: PINTEREST!

Posted by on Jan 26, 2012 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration, Living & Design | 23 comments Who’s tried it yet? Do you have an account? Yes, there’s another forum on the market and I am usually the one who watches the benefits first and analyzes its pros and cons. Kinda like facebook. I was on facebook when they just started and I had 5 friends for 1 1/2 years. How often did I use it? Not at all! If you have just 5 friends who post as much as you do, you can imagine how much...
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Look Back, Look Forward

Posted by on Dec 27, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 4 comments I want to thank you for being a loyal reader and friend! Did you have a good christmas? I have taken a break from my blog to dedicate my attention to family and loved ones. And now the year is already coming to an end. 2011 was exciting because I got to know you and I didn’t think this would be possible. I met so many of you first via twitter and then we became friends and I even met some...
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What to Do When There is No Market for Your Product Part I

Posted by on Dec 14, 2011 in Art Marketing, Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 6 comments “It’s all about passion…” (source of quote: myself) As some of you may know, I used to be an Executive Chef working for celebrities and the upper class for many years before I got married and settled. In 2008, I moved to an area that doesn’t offer much culturally (read one of my earlier posts). Contemporary museums, grand operas and world theaters are not exactly...
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Don’t know what to paint?!

Posted by on Nov 3, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 5 comments Sometimes there are those days… That’s when I’d go through old sketchbooks, trying to find something appealing, a dropped idea or something unfinished that could use a happy ending. I’d surf the internet, google stuff, look at pictures but nothing would excite me. Sounds familiar? Well, then I hope I can help! Here are some ideas to get back into gear: 1. consult your...
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Vacation Pictures My Style

Posted by on Oct 5, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 11 comments When I am on vacation, I am never really interested in taking pictures of things that have been taken a million times already (and the postcards always look greater than my photos). So why should I waste my time and take shots from stuff I can look at online or in photo books? My idea of a vacation is to meet the people, connect to nature, see the local wildlife and eat food produced right there....
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How To Gather New Ideas

Posted by on Aug 24, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 8 comments My mind is all over the place right now, so I decided to write down more and make notes. I have quite a few notebooks that are all in use but they all have a different purpose. My favorite is my idea book. It is great to look up previous ideas when my creativity level is low. But today, I started a new idea book which is divided into material categories: - paper - wood - metal - styrofoam -...
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New Projects, New Ideas, New Concepts

Posted by on Aug 22, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 1 comment After a great weekend, I am back to my studio! My husband and I decided to have a summer party and we invited some of our friends last Saturday. We never know who is going to show up and the mix of people is always interesting and so was the outcome. We laughed a lot and during my juicing diet, the two beers I had made me grow wings and a little dizzy. The day after, I felt like I had shots the...
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An Artist Needs Play-Time To Evolve

Posted by on Aug 12, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 7 comments I hope you missed me! I have been absent from my computer for almost a week, I ignored Twitter, Facebook, G+, my phone and all the other modern toys. No, I haven’t been on vacation. Every time I wanted to write a blog post, our internet was down but I also did not really push myself very hard whenever it was back up. My creative mojo kept me busy and too many things happened: ideas kept on...
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Finding Answers About Ourselves In Artwork

Posted by on Jul 31, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 12 comments One of my favorite motifs is the ocean. I have just started to play around more with color and create more abstract paintings but for some reason I keep on coming back to water, skies and the color blue. In my studio, it is the most used color (also in my closet). Water has such a calming effect on me and it is my safe subject to paint. Water is life and I guess its symbolism keeps to suck me in...
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How Many Sketchbooks Does an Artist Need?

Posted by on Jul 29, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 5 comments Today, I went through my stack of sketchbooks that are currently in use and realized that I had more than ten. In fact, I counted 16. Sketchbooks are more than a diary to an artist. These are some of the reasons why an artist uses a sketchbook - to doodle around - because there is nothing to do - can be used as a diary - to brainstorm - for inspiration - to capture a moment - for genius ideas...
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Why It Is Important To Declutter Your Mind

Posted by on Jul 26, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 5 comments While the world was still making its circles around the sun followed by the moon and some stuff that is somehow drawn to the earth (satellites, space trash, aliens, meteors …), I have made the decision to stand still. It has been quiet around my blog for a few days but here I am, finally back. I could say that I was extremely busy working on some projects to save the world, I could come up...
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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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Name a Painting Contest

Posted by on Jun 6, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 45 comments Welcome to my painting contest! I painted this piece of abstract impressionist artwork and I decided to ask my friends if they would like to come up with a name. The response has been so great and I can’t decide which name to choose, so I would love for you to vote for the best name! Just pick three of your favorites (with 1 you like the most, 2 as second and 3 the third option) and leave...
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Why Everybody Should Have A Mockingbird

Posted by on May 18, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 4 comments We have been so lucky to be chosen as landlords for a very nice Mockingbird family. They moved into our backyard a couple of weeks ago. We allowed them to build a mansion into our apple tree door to door, right next to our bedroom. As much as we could, we helped them find building material for their one bed mansion. Very soon later Mrs. Mockingbird gave birth to two adorable green-brown...
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How I Make An Oil Painting – Abstract Art

Posted by on Apr 25, 2011 in Art, Blog | 9 comments This is one of the paintings I made today. The paint I use is made from pigments and linseed oil. It is painted on primed (home-made gesso from chalk, pigments and skin rabbit glue) fabric that I stretched on recycled wooden frames which I build myself, too. Have a look how I make my frames and mix the colors: - How To Custom-Build Your Own Frames - How To Make Oil Paint From...
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An Artress On Her Day Off

Posted by on Apr 12, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 8 comments So what do people like me do on their day off? It’s funny but I am never off, or let’s put it that way, I am always off. It’s the same to me. Whether I paint, market my paintings or am outside the house, there is always something I can use for my business or something that inspires me. My husband and I love fishing and being out there on the lake, surrounded by water and nature...
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Creative Places Create Creativity

Posted by on Mar 23, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 0 comments A few weeks back, I went to visit the Arboretum in Dallas. It was maybe two weeks before the tulips started to show. This week, I will take a friend to this wonderful place. My bank partnered with them and the Branch Manager was so kind to give me a free ticket for one of us. So we’ll share. I am not expecting it to be the same like last time. But I am expecting to have a relaxing and...
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The Drug I Take To Get High

Posted by on Mar 20, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 6 comments Today I spent the day inside the garage, my art studio. With the front door wide open, a nice breeze blowing through the room and happy sunshine all day long. There were kids on the street playing, the neighbors to the left put new plants in their front-yard and people walked their dogs. Maybe, maybe not. I was so focused on my paintings that I hardly recognized what was going on around me. Until...
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Spotlight: Willy Week At Rice University

Posted by on Mar 13, 2011 in Art, Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 12 comments This week, it is Willy Week at Rice University Houston which is a week where the school and its history is celebrated; alumni come back and the residential colleges compete against each other. One of the traditions is to pull pranks on other colleges or on the university. See picture for my nephew’s idea for a prank on the university. It was so outrageous that the president of the...
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Why You Have To Take A Break

Posted by on Mar 10, 2011 in Blog, Ideas & Inspiration | 8 comments Today, I did all kinds of things but paint. While I am in the process of getting my exhibition together and I really need to produce more paintings, it is definitely important to leave the canvases untouched for a day or two. - Do some fun stuff. - Meet with a friend for lunch and catch up. - Don’t think business, relax. - Make some phone calls that are not business. - Write a letter. - Go...
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