Every friendship has something that makes it special. Or something that someone else finds special.
Muriel & Niels
The special thing about the friendship between Muriel & Niels for me is that it has lasted since kindergarten. The world is very fast-moving and many things are constantly changing. For children in particular, a whole new world sometimes seems to open up with each new year of life. This is even more true during puberty.
Muriel & Niels both grew up in the same Cologne neighborhood, where they still live today. In the meantime, they have both grown up and are each currently looking for their way into professional life. During a conversation with the two of them, I realized that their life plans for the near future could not be more different. Their days of living near each other are numbered. In the future, many thousands of kilometers could lie between them.
I find it all the more beautiful that both were able to experience the value of a long lasting friendship at such a young age, which in this case has lasted virtually their entire lives to date. This experience will, I am convinced, be a formative one for the rest of their lives.
oil on canvas | 70 x 100 cm
2022
Putting Down Roots
Because of their common history, I wanted to add something symbolic to the picture: a tree trunk as a fixed point in the lives of the two. Against which they can both lean at any time. Which strengthens their backs. Rooted firmly in the earth. And which, with time and its annual rings, grows and grows stronger. And perhaps it is also a symbolic fixed point to which they can return at any time.
Continously Models Wanted
I am currently painting the sixth painting of the Friends series. See updates of my progress in my Instagram account.
I invite you to contact me if you and a friend of yours would like to be painted together. Age, nationality, gender, appearance and other categories do not matter, everyone is welcome. Currently, I would especially appreciate messages from people living in my city, Cologne, so I can personally take a photo of you. But you can also live on the other side of the world and submit a photo. Please send me an email and I will send you more details. Write to: mail(at)ateliersommerkunst.de or use the contact form on my webpage.
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