About the process ...

how artworks are created

All of my artworks are based on photographs. This is MY media of expression. They are either from the analogue or from the digital process. I appreciate cameras with manual settings, which force me to absolutely concentrate on the process of making photographs. I usually use my analogue 35mm camera of the 60s and my digital leica camera M type 262. However, in some works, I experimented with other analogue cameras like a Holga medium format camera or a polaroid instant camera.

Scanning analogue films and creating digital data.

All of the photographs are converted to digital data. This is necessary for my work: All of the photographs created at any time, for any reason, in any project must be able to be connected in any possible new combination of images. However, I use small prints of the good images for the selection.

Collecting photographs and creating combinations of images.

I browse my archive regularly to develop new series during sitting on the floor in the middle of many small-sized photo prints or by pushing the prints back and forth on my magnetic wall. This process can take a lot of time before the series is completed.

Choosing methods and materials.

Working with several images at the same time, makes me thinking about how to connect them to each other ideally. Thus, I create a concept with drawings in my notebook, decide if it will become an object, an artwork or a book/box, I check materials, define settings for the printing process and produce a dummy. All of the selected components are chosen to support the expression of the series perfectly.

Manual production and finishing for unique photographic art.

I developed several different methods to create unique photographs, e.g. by adding a special finishing, preparing material surfaces or by printing on self-made paper. The selected method for a specific artwork depends on the intention of the art project and topic.

Some details about the methods:

• The self-made paper consists of waste material of my creation process. I modified the paper production with some additives to reach a long-lasting paper quality. The self-made papers can be identified by my specific watermark by backlight. Each pigment print on the self-made papers is unique.
• I produce the pigment prints in my studio with a professional digital pigment printer. Although the printing process is highly standardized - especially in cases in which I use not the self-made paper - I influence the production process to create some unpredictable variations in each copy. The edition means in this case that the image will be produced x times but because of the process each one will be a little different. All of my artworks are signed and numbered (for editions).
• I produce self-published books and boxes in my studio. They are highly limited and signed. One copy is an artist's proof. This is the copy that I present in book shows or art exhibitions. This one can be touched and leafed through by everyone at the events. The copies for sale are untouched. Each of the copies looks a little bit different because of manual handling. You can choose your personal favorite out of the edition.

Presentation of the artworks.

The kind of presentation is an important part. My artworks are allways framed in museum quality. The high-quality glass allows an unrestricted view of the artwork and protects the work from UV radiation.