Blog – Page 67 – Astrid Volquardsen

4 Oct 2010

Wildkogel: Students works

by Astrid | 5

For my work sketching is very important and at the beginning of the workshop the students learned to use a sketchbook. In their works it shows that they actually had looked at what they were painting and that they simply didn’t use a photograph.

Pastell, 21×24cm

Hüttentalkopf, Pastell, 21×28 cm
© 2010, Claus Schünemann

Pastell, 28×21cm

Pastell, 21×24cm
© 2010, Petra Schmidt

Above you can see some of the students works. The scepticism towards a sketchbook has disappeared and leads sometimes to funny pieces of conversations:
Petra. (happy):« I even started coloring my sketches.«
Klaus: »And your face too!«

3 Oct 2010

Wildkogel: Working athmosphere

by Astrid | 2

Mittagspause auf der Terrasse, direkt vor unserem Atelier

2010, © Astrid Volquardsen

Unser Atelier, man beachte den Blick nach draußen

2010, © Astrid Volquardsen

Petra skizziert in der Abendstimmung

2010, © Astrid Volquardsen

The weather is really nice and only the mornings are cold. We got up at 6.00 a.m. to watch the sunrise and started with some sketches.
Today it was so warm, that we could have our lunch break outside, in front of our studio.
The group harmonises very well and together with the environment it turns out to be an exceptional working athmosphere.

2 Oct 2010

Wildkogel: Sunrise

by Astrid | 4

Blick zum Raben-Kogel, Pastell, 15×20cm,

2010 © Astrid Volquardsen

The perception is running high these days. I woke up at 5 a.m. and one look out of the window promised a beautiful sunrise. We put on warm clothes, took the easel and at half past five we were ready. We had a free view to the summits of the alps, but the clouds blocked the view into the valleys. Only in some spare moments we could see the lights of the villages through the cloud cover.

It is challenging to paint in the twilight. I could see quite well on my paper, but I could only guess what pastel stick I picked, because my pastelbox was still in the shadow. So it’s kind of true when Richard Mckinley stretches the importance of a working order in your pastel box.

The colors weren’t all right, but the light was changing so fast, so that I sticked to the rule to get the values right.

I think, this was one of my best plein air experiences I had ever had.

2010, © Astrid Volquardsen

1 Oct 2010

Wildkogel

by Astrid | 0

We arrived at the Wildkogel hut in Austria in the Kitzbühler Alps. The mountains are covered in clouds, but sometimes the sun shows through and we are getting all excited. We will start tomorrow and half of the attendents have already arrived. And what do pastel artists talk about? Pastels, materials, pigments…

From Our studio we can look straight to the Apls. So cooool…

29 Sep 2010

Moon sketch

by Astrid | 12

Mond Farbimpression, Pastell,
2010, © Astrid Volquardsen

Last week we had these beautiful evenings when the moon rose in the twilight and the whole landscape presented itself with glorious colors. In the beginning it’s more blueish/ violett and within half an hour the blue completely changed.
As I was standing there, I tried to get in my memory as many impressions and colors as possible and headed back to the studio and captured it on my paper.
The evening was very warm and the air was full with chirrs of the bush crickets and two bats were hunting above my head. It felt somehow like a goodbye to summer.

Mond über Geltinger Bucht, Pastell, 13×21cm,

26 Sep 2010

Eva im Bad (IV)

by Astrid | 0

Another piece from the bath. This time I left the shower head out, so I wouldn’t have to many details. On the other hand it strengthens the light, so I’m not sure about this one. I changed the colours in the background in order to find something which isn’t so strong in it’s chroma and go back to some more »natural colours«.

22 Sep 2010

Eva im Bad (III)

by Astrid | 7

It feels so good, that the figurative work is back in my artistic life. In my landscapes I’m interested in a quite realistic way with realistic colours, whereas in the figurative work I love to use completely different colours and a different technique. I don’t blend as much as I do in my other work.

Eva in the bath still keeps me on the hook and I again realize how amazing the photoshooting in France was. There are still many more pictures to come.
While painting I realized why I love painting so much. It all comes down to this very moment, when you put down a color and something inside you klicks into place, some very intense moment of perception. It’s very hard to put into words.

A singer ones told me that it seems to be comparable when one feels the sound of a note deep inside.

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About me

I am fascinated by the light conditions of the countryside, particularly in Northern Germany. I grew up in Hamburg so I am used to the rugged countryside and sometimes bleak weather and light conditions. The light in northern country landscapes is very special and it is indescribably beautiful. It touches my soul and opens up my heart when I visit the coast and feel the elemental force of the sea.
As opposed to my seascapes, I am very interested in the closely cropped views of the harbor and its endless diversity of shapes and colors.

With pastel painting l have found the ideal medium to artistically and creatively transform these special conditions of illumination. I love to spread pigment on paper without anything else in between.
Pastel paintings come alive when you put different layers of colour on the canvas. This is a great artistic stimulus for me. Which combination of colour pigments can be used to achieve precisely the effect of light and shade that I want? During the artistic process, layers of colour are continually built up and removed until the light situation has been captured and the picture can unfold its unique illuminating power.