Likewise with me. Until then, I had painted pictures for my own microcosm only, for my first apartment. Large-format paintings came into being within the two square meter-sized cellar room of the apartment, amidst surfboard, skiing gear and whatever else is hiding in the cellar. In summertimes, it was pleasant to paint there, in the wintertimes often lousily cold.

Along with my wife warmth moved in: my mother-in-law presented me with a fan-heater. I painted pictures that were inspired by photographs from various holidays, mainly in southern European countries. “What are you taking photos of?” my wife keeps asking until today, whenever I am taking too many pictures or pointing the camera at something quite unexciting to her.

Once receiving encouragement from many sides, I invested more time and energy in painting, took part in numerous collective exhibitions, among others with the Gruppe Bildender Künstler (Group of Visual Artists) “gbk” Rheda Wiedenbrück, the “Westfälische Gallery” Bielefeld and finally the “Group 13”, plus, I had the chance to present myself in solo exhibitions. Many of my paintings are on display in public buildings, doctors´ offices and restaurants or are privately owned.

By now I put down my ideas in sketch books for the most part. Rough sketching opens up new and completely different possibilities to express myself abstractly and thus more multi-variant in my subsequent paintings, too. Partly large and even larger formats remain feature of my work until today – I am just not sitting in the cellar room anymore …

1961
born in Rheda Wiedenbrück

1984–1990
Graphic Design Studies at FH Bielefeld

Since 1996
Pictures & Paintings

»With his exhibits characterized by immediacy and elegance the graduated graphic designer strengthens once more the fact that painting still enjoys its central status within visual arts. … Thus, his large-format oil paintings are part of a seemingly selective and sensitive collection, appearing to fuse sympathy and joker, sensuality and subtlety all alike.« (Die Glocke, gdd)

»The width of Tuscan scenery with small crushed stone houses and cypresses, with meadows and fields, sunsets, the infinite view from nightfall´s dusky beach onto the open sea, the narrowness of such cozy-placid alleys and street angles on Mallorca or in Andalusia: the painter´s fascination for his motives is clearly felt when looked at. ´The art works wish to conserve that aura of vacation. The paintings simply express joy.´ … At the same time the painter experiments and moves between photorealistic reproduction and abstract presentation, specifically in his younger works.« (Neue Westfälische, ebbe)