Blog – JUDITH MARDER

2021-02-23

A good day and the SM problem

Some days start like a total nightmare and end so good that I sometimes can’t believe it! Big thanks to B.K.!!!

And now to something completely different: After wasting the last years on Instagram posts, I’ve finally returned to my web page. Some weeks ago, I had a chat with another artist after reading his blog post about Insta and likes and how this can influence the opinion an artist has about her or his own work. This reflected my own experiences, and he came to the same conclusion as I did: to put the website first, which is especially a good thing for artworks that are not suitable for the small Insta format.

The problem with social media is that it is there … and the other problem with social media is that it sucks up time and attention like a dried-out sponge … and another problem with social media is that it is a so inherent narcisstic media, why don’t we all just sit in front of a mirror for several hours and tell ourselves how great we are … and the biggest problem of social media is that it does not bring any money, but for the operator.

Sometimes I get so lost in all the other great artworks that people post there, and I’m kind of loosing myself in all the possibilities, in all the things I could do, not even asking if I want to. It is not really a bad thing, more a neutral thing, it is a bit like an artificial universe. Although, I guess loosing yourself is a bad thing…

However, as a visual artist I somehow have to deal with social media. By the way, did someone ever notice that the abbreviation would be SM? Anyway, I have promised myself to put my website first now. No cheap likes here. But if you should like one of my artworks or all of them, just send me an email, tell me how great it is, I will print it out, nail it at my wall and I will love you forever.

It’s late.

2018-07-15

A bigger splash

At the moment, I’m obsessed with painting water. Especially the several variations of turquoise and blue are fascinating for me. This one here is my personal movie poster from A BIGGER SPLASH in acrylic and oil on canvas. It is a work in progress, as you can see the white frame of her sun glasses are still missing. I really love the way the light is reflected in the water, and I can totally understand Hockney’s fascination by Californian swimming pools.

I don’t have no swimming pool in my Berlin backyard, unfortunately, so I’m trying a different approach. I observe the water reflections in a little bowl with a reflecting surface and different light settings. I also use pool pictures from all over the world as reference in combination of what I think a pool looks and “feels” like.

But painting water is not only restricted to pools for me; vases, bottles, and glasses are also interesting. I want to explore how to capture transparency, light, reflection and depth.

I’m working on two more pool pictures at the moment with different approaches. I’m still thinking about the final touch for those two.

2018-01-182018-07-15

Women in Berlin

Today I have completed two new paintings from the Women in Berlin series. The focus of this series is how to compose paintings that show the complete figure. I will post the images soon, at the moment the series comprises five acrylic paintings on canvas. I have also experimented with oil colors today, fine details and impasto effects are so much easier in oil. More to come, too.

2017-12-122018-01-18

Why art is important

It is a way to express yourself, it touches your soul, triggers a mood, a feeling. It is also status, always decorative, sometimes an investment. There may be many reasons why art is important to you, but for me as an artist, making art is not an option, but a must, a strong passion. I can’t imagine my life without being an artist. This is what I always wanted and want to do, this has never changed.

I have always been involved in art projects of all kinds, first writing, music, and photography, later on performance, painting and digital art, and now also video art.

Of course the medium is important, but not that important as non-artists might think. One the one hand, the medium determines the artwork, and on the other hand, it is just the medium, and the medium alone – for example a painting on canvas – does not make it art per se.

When I talk about art, I don’t judge. It is not about “good” or “bad” art, but about relevance. Here, the artist and the art lover are confronted with the same questions: What does a piece of art mean to me? Does it connect with me? Or is it an intellectual challenge? Do I like to look at it/touch it/hear it/read it? Does it create new images in my mind?

This list is endless, and why I make and love art, is nothing I can choose. It is just the way it is. And to answer the question: Why is art important? Because it belongs to human life, it is inseparably linked with human existence.