THOMAS KINZEL

Art is like a field of sweet corn. Like children artists are running their own way into this field. Every now and then the finished works, the fruits of art, are harvested to see them in exhibitions or in galleries. Then a new field grows and the artist creates a new way to walk on and also let his works grow again.

This was the first image I had in my mind as I was invited to write this article about me. I don’t know when I started to create my own ways in this field of arts. There is no particular date, for which I can say: Here, on this date, I started to draw or paint. I learned to use a pencil like I learned to walk. Since my first days this was always my tool to express my feelings and thoughts. Already in this time fantastic landscapes, monsters or roboters fascinated me. It wasn’t interesting to me if they really existed. In my mind and my ideas they did.

Some years later I started to draw and paint again, on another level, but my ideas and fascination were still the same. Things that influence me are mainly books and music but also other artists’ works. And actually everything around me takes part in creating images in my mind.

I wanted to create new worlds and new creatures. I wanted to open the doors into my own worlds for everyone who is interested in them. And lead the viewer through my innermost feelings, emotions and fears.

This was and is my idea until now. But the most difficult thing for me is to be satisfied with my own works. Sometimes I am really dejected when I look at my pictures and find mistakes or things I don’t like anymore. There are a lot of unfinished paintings in my home and the most of them will never be finished. To be honest, I am not able to finish them. It often seems to me, that I am too far away of them with my thoughts.

My works can be put into the genre of Surrealism and Fantastic Realism. But I love to test new styles and techniques.

Experiments are an important part of my work, because I like to find out new things and make new experiences. On this way a lot of etchings, woodcuts and abstract paintings were created. It was always important for me to have my own flow and I was always trying to generate my own style. Experiments helped me a lot to find out who I am and what I want to become.

Nevertheless I had to learn that this is only one part of art. The other is to get exhibitions and to become popular. Art is a lot of trading and selling. Sometimes this makes me sad. In my eyes my own mind and my feelings are still the most important element in my work. And I hope I will never have to forget what I want to paint only for earning money with my pictures. My works shall stay a part of me.

Besides this experiments my focus still lies on the genre of fantastic art. And so I’m working now for about half a year on a serial to the topic “Human Evolution”. It shows mainly portraits or parts of human faces connected with wires, machines and parts of natural elements, like roots of plants of leaves.

During this time I got to know the “Mische Technique” of the old masters.

Very recently I started to mix this Technique with indian ink drawing. My idea was to create something new, something like a “Drawing-Painting-Hybrid” and I think it worked very well and I will go on in this direction.

I don’t know where my way through this field of sweet corn will lead me to. The only thing I know is that I hopefully will have a long way on which I can learn a lot and find out more about myself.

Thomas Kinzel, Germany