Christa Schmid-Ehrlinger

Born in: 1948
Lives in: Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
Education: Academic examination for teaching at high schools for French and German, Ministry of Education, Baden - Württemberg Appointment as a teacher at the Ministry of Education and Sport Baden - Württemberg Certificate ""Modern Art"", Funkkolleg German Institute for Distance Learning, University of Tübingen, 1990
""The other master class"" Prof. Rolf Thiele, Galan, Federal Academy for Cultural Education, Wolfenbüttel, 2000
Recognition of artist status by VBKW (Visual Artists in Württ.) , 2000
Describe your art in three words: process, rhythm, transformation
See More Work: www.schmid-ehrlinger.de

What themes does your work involve?

I am concerned with vital processes such as growth, nature and inner structures and their transformation into abstract paintings. Which movements, which gesture, which rhythm and which activities of my hand create corresponding lines and forms?

Describe your creative process.

Lines of the eye are the basis of my painting. I follow the guidance (line) of my gaze, erratically or slowly, and transform this uncontrollably into rhythmic hand movements and line connections. Painting these are developed further in terms of surface and colour. That is why my abstract paintings are based on the perception of nature and the natural. Here I discover the rhythm of life, which I want to transform in the painting process. This results in special focal points such as color or form, opulence or memory and forms series. A painting is only finished, when it repeatedly withstands my scrutiny and no longer requires any additions or revisions.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I am inspired and fascinated by transitions, apparent disappearence, contrasts, exciting contradictions, order in chaos, as can be seen, for example, in a felled tree trunk on which a green branch is growing again or in an unharvested field with withered filigree plants. I have a strong urge to capture "life" symbolically in artistic activity.

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

Further development of my painting path in exploring the laws and processes of painting in order to transcend them: figure and yet no figure, from line to surface and from surface to line, but not representational for any thing.

How do recent advancements in technology affect your art practice? How may recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (image generator software) affect the definition of fine art?

The latest developments do not affect my practice. In my quest I hold fast to the human body, its perception, its feelings, its ability to move and its consciousness. The definition of art will expand and also partially change. The history of art shows that "new things" such as "photography" etc. have always been taken up by art, both in terms of the questions asked and in the forms of expression. The struggle for quality criteria remains.

What is the role of the artist today?

His/her roles today are varied and very different. They should be grounded in an understanding of art that is convincingly represented and embodied. In this way, artists work in the field of the latest technical developments in all media or in social projects or "on themselves". I myself have chosen the way to work "on myself" while I`m creating an image and by this way I´m striving for it to be meaningly to many people.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Good art touches the most diverse people, emotionally and intellectually. Good art is resistant, raises questions, critically reflects proconceived opinions and judgements, and rejects clear interpretations. Good art is characterized by inner consistency and craftsmanship. It influences ways of seeing our world and allows other "worlds" to appear.