We were really excited recently to hear that one of our artist guests has just had her first solo exhibition at the German Bookshop in Brussels. Dorothea Schulz has visited us twice before and we're really honoured to be the proud owners of one of her paintings. I thought now would be the perfect opportunity to catch up with her and share her beautiful work with you.
Burgundy Dreamer: You must
be thrilled at the success of your first solo exhibition – have you had a
chance to reflect on what this has meant to you?
D: In the
career of every budding artist comes a time when painting alone isn't enough;
you want to share the fruits of your creativity with others. It is all well and
good when Mom tells you:”I love your paintings” – she is biased after all!
Getting recognition from others is enormously important. Selling a painting for
me is not primarily about the money (though it’s nice to recover some of one’s
expenses for art
materials and workshops) It means that someone likes your painting so much that
he/she is willing to open his/her wallet to be able to take it home!
BD: What is
the attraction of painting with pastels for you?
D: I love
everything about pastels; the tactility and immediacy of the medium, the
brilliant colours – pastels have the purest pigments of all painting mediums
because they contain very little binder – even the messiness. Once you've fallen under their spell there’s no coming back.
BD: How do
you go about selecting a subject to paint?
D: I do my
still-lives mostly from nature but with the weather in Belgium being what it
is, I often use my own photo references for landscapes. I have been a keen photographer for a long
time which helps enormously because a good photo reference is already half the
battle. Another advantage: using my own photos means that the selection process
for a subject that appeals to me has already taken place.
BD: Which of
your paintings has given you greatest satisfaction?
D: Every new
painting is a favourite for a time. It usually takes me several weeks to get
unattached enough to consider giving it up for adoption i.e. selling it. A few
though will never be sold because they are too special to me, mostly paintings
of family members (my daughter - above, or my sister’s adorable cat) or paintings which
have a special significance in my artistic progress.
BD: From an
artist’s perspective, what is it that appeals to you about painting in and
around Montmelard in particular and southern Burgundy
D: The quiet
beauty of the landscape around Montmelard and the conviviality and friendliness
of the hosts at ‘Les Cerisiers’ add up to such a feeling of well-being that
creativity can’t but thrive. Coming there for a second time already felt like
coming home. And there is such a wealth to discover in the Maconnais that I’ll
certainly be back!
BD: Landscape, buildings or people, which is your preference?
D: I don’t
have a real preference, my inclinations change with my mood. I must confess
though that architecture as such is not my favourite subject, because I'm a
rather impatient person and getting the perspective right takes rather too long
for me.
But of
course buildings do have their place as part of a landscape.
BD: Your work
has featured on the front cover of a local magazine (see 'chateau' below), what was your reaction to this?
D: I was
delighted and surprised! That painting had been purely a fun painting, not at
all in my usual style and I hadn’t expected its ‘success’.Merci, Mme le Maire!
BD: Having sold eight paintings at the show so
far and commissions on top of this, to quote you ‘So now I am officially a
professional artist’. What next for you in this new role?
D: I definitely need business cards now – and my
own website. At the moment I'm looking
around the internet to compare
different artist’s websites to see what appeals to me most.
BD: If you have a really big dream with regards
to your art, would you share it?
D: I don’t
have one big dream; mine are rather more modest. I hope that I‘ll continue to
grow in my art, find loving homes for some of my ‘children’ - and never, ever
get arthritis in my fingers!!!
As soon as Dorothea has set up her website I'll
be sure to post the details here.
