“Inner Development”

Here artistic intent and unexpected influences merge. This work, originally intended as a print of a bare foot in dried and cracked paint, took a fascinating turn.

A vibrant palette of green and yellow tones, infused with traces of nature. It wasn't my hand, but beetles that found their way unnoticed that left their mark here. The original vision has been reinterpreted by nature, and the beetles' damage is now a powerful symbol of change and unpredictability.

In this unexpected collaboration I find an organic metaphor for metamorphosis and change. The traces of the beetle metamorphosis, as unintentional symbolism, tells a story of transformation and the unstoppable passage of time. Art and nature merge into a unique aesthetic fusion of planned creativity and spontaneous influences.

I consciously decided against the original footprint in order to preserve the traces of the beetles. This was not a defeat, but a choice that intensified the dialogue between art and chance. The work thus becomes a timeless testimony to the beauty that arises from the symbiosis of human creativity and the power of nature.

In ‘Inner Development’ we see, how the creative process goes beyond the boundaries of intention. The unintended elements are not mistakes but sources of inspiration. This work invites you to discover the beauty in the unexpected and experience the transformative power of art.

The painting is a 20cm x 20cm egg tempera on canvas. The beetles are drugstore beetles (Stegobium paniceum). These have gone through all stages of development inside the dried paint. I collected them and cleaned the painting. It was then disinfected in the oven and prepared with linseed oil varnish. What remains is a detailed landscape that tells a colorful story of life.

That's how my painting looks now. I changed the title from "Terrarium Snake and Monarch Butterfly" to "Inside". That's an insssider.
❤️😉
It's almost complete. Later it gets a frame that represents a terrarium. Then, if sloth wills, it's finished.

The mysterious back of my painting. On the dark areas is a thicker color layer. Partly I dug into the layers with the brush, which then created these lines. As you can see, the snake consists of only a few layers of paint. Most of the layers I needed for the wood. You can't see the butterfly, because of the stretcher. The idea for the motif came to me during the painting. Originally I just wanted to paint my snake in a beautiful landscape. It's my first tempera and at the same time my first canvas painting ever.

I applied varnish to separate the tempera from the following oil colors. The tempera have given the painting its extreme radiance. Now I want more nuances, transitions and spatiality. I hope to achieve this by subtle overpainting with transparent oil paints. I'm curious if it works as imagined. Through the varnish cracks have become visible immediately. The painting already experienced some shocks since spring 2017. I'll try to hide those cracks a bit. Practice makes perfect, so I keep on learning by doing! But I definitely want to start soon with a new detailed painting and this one blocks me. It keeps me trapped, but basically I'm already happy with it and all the statements are already included. That's why I'll finish it now. It later gets a frame that represents a broken terrarium.

I just felt like changing the sky.

It's not finished yet. Maybe never will.
I'm furry, so no need to hurry. I paint for over 2 years on the picture. Recently I sat for about 10 hours again. It's gouache tempera on canvas (20x20cm). It means a lot to me, because I always wanted to paint a very detailed picture. I haven't painted many pictures yet. A few, but without satisfying me. The title is "Terrarium Snake and Monarch Butterfly". It describes my self-image, along with hurdles and desires that shape me. Every now and then I show you the progress.

My painting in detail. At some point, I'm sure to make bigger sloth steps again. By the way, I haven't painted many paintings in my life. I never liked it very much. In school I often got approval, rather than painting what the teacher says, to draw what I want. Later attempts I never found satisfying. Good that I've tried again. It's an exercise picture, I took the canvas with the least quality for it. Now I paint for over 2 years on it.

Video made with Adobe Procrastinate Pro. Sloth life!

Music: "Old Tabla Night" by septahelix
(2019 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

Listen to music, catch some rays, paint my never ending painting. 🎶🌞🎨 I've been working on this image since February 2017. It's still not finished. The meaning of this painting is about freedom. The title is "Terrarium Snake and Monarch Butterfly".
It started as training. That's my first tempera painting. Usually I decide to finish my work at some point. I imagined the picture and myself growing together. In the meantime I have freed myself from the idea of having to finish it at all.

Painting the clouds of my long-term project "Terrarium snake and monarch butterfly". Just added some yellow to the clouds which led to more harmony and brightness for the whole painting. Now I'm going to add some white again. Clouds are very complex but not difficult to paint. It's very relaxing and exactly what I need now. 🖼🎨😏 What about you? Are you painting as well?
Show me your work! 😀