Wine Line

Sheer Beauty

Ouuuh, I love this picture. And there are even more exciting news ahead, but again I'll wait until ...

Street Festival at Leipzigs "Kö" on June 1st

The "Kö" is the Könneritzstreet in Leipzig's west and there will be a street festival at the afternoon of June 1st this year. The big news:

I will take part with a stall and offering my (printed) postcard-sets, ornamental drawings and photographies there!

Exciting, eh? Well at least it is for me. And there'll be a whole lot of work during the next few weeks. I'll have to draw a lot and decide which drawings and photos to print, etc.

Major Artistic Breakthrough

Goooooooood Morning. Yesterday evening at my watercolor class happened something that I didn't even know I waited for. What?

For the first time in my life I found that I liked my sketch and painting best of the class. Until yesterday I always had the feeling that almost everyone else is superior to me in almost all areas of my life.

So with that development I'm feeling much better and self-confident. Perfect timing.

Dreaming of open waters in the sun

It's Friday, Folks, and since this weekend will be fantastic weather in Leipzig, it's time for life's simple pleasures.

A stroll in one or all of the lovely parks, a bike ride around the Markkleeberger See (preferably without falling of the bike, which I did yesterday), cooking and enjoying great food, reading on a park bench in the sun, drawing on a park bench in the sun, pondering life on a park bench in the sun, going to a crafts market and meeting with friends there. Doing all this alone or with good friends.

Enjoy your Fridays and weekends.

Over the brim and out of the bucket - A Story with Photographic Illustration

First a tentative glance over the brim. Oh, the wonders to see and experience. 'Okay, time to overcome the anxiety and leave the bucket!'

A last glance at safety, at the world I know so well. 'Do I really want to do this? To leave the place I know so well? The walls, with all their cracks and splinters?'

Hanging in the air, one leg outside feeling for the ground, the other still in the bucket, still in assumed safety, undecided...thoughts racing...feelings fighting each other...hanging...thinking...feeling: anxious, frustrated, exhilarated, daring, impatient, scared, wobbly... And then.. my foot brushes something...sound footing. That makes the decision for me. I take my other leg out of the bucket and let go of it.

My both feet touching the ground, standing there on the ground for the very first time. And for the very first time looking from the outside at my bucket. It seems so small...but it felt big enough when I was in there... so small, my world had been sooo small...

Starting to look around, without even noticing it taking the first steps away from my bucket. And then I look back and ... was this really all I knew? It is so small compared to the whole world.

Just turning the next corner, there are new sights to see, odours to smell and flavours to taste.

The open road stretches out before me, with endless possibilities. To tell you the truth I'm a bit anxious, cause I can only see the next few steps. But wait what is that other feeling? Excitement? Exhilaration? Joy? A mixture of all of them. The open road beckons me:
'Come along. Take one step at a time and I'll show you wonders that you haven't even dreamt of.'

'Well then...'

And I start walking...

Concentrating on the bigger picture - A photographic illustration

For years I've been concentrating on the details, shutting out the big picture. The reason? I felt like I could control the minutiae, but not the big picture. However, yesterday I realized, that I got lost in the details and through that destroyed the big picture I've been trying to create. (Well, this realization had already been simmering under the surface for quite a while. It often surfaced when I pondered my skin troubles. But I didn't fully realize that it encompasses all other areas of my life too.)

For example I did this with my skin, obsessing over blackheads but not getting the overall skin care dialed in. The daily "end" result: "Streuselkuchen"-Skin (no, this isn't medical term). Same goes for my drawings, obsessing over little mistakes, that won't be recognized, until you take a magnifying glass. Food? Same story. Applications? What do you think?

So, yesterday I've decided to concentrate on the big picture instead of the minutiae.

This is the reason for this series of photographs they illustrate this journey from the minutiae (not even seeing the water because of all the weeds) to the big picture (the open sea of possibilities or in this case the open lake, the Neusiedler Lake in Austria to be exact). I think I'm currently somewhere

in between. Not completely free, but I can see my way and more, the weeds are on the sidelines, but sometimes still getting in the way. It is as Mark Twain said: “A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.”

Do you fall into the minutiae trap sometimes? How do you get out?

A window, a lamp with a shadow and the sky

Nature's colors vs. human grey

Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

Yarn Bombing at the Neusiedler Lake, Austria - Strickgraffiti

This was the first time I encountered this in real life. I had seen some of this in the Photodiarist blog before. There are Yarn Bombers in Leipzig too and I will show you some pics of Leipzig soon. I found those yarn bombings in Leipzig only after I had seen those in Austria.

Anyway, more on this topic here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

I think this yarn bombing is a fabulous idea. What do you think about it?

Are there some yarn bombers where you live? If so want to share some pictures? Post them on your blog, comment here and I'll link to your post.

Changing the perspective

Makes you seeing things differently. With my new job and the knowledge I gained in my previous job (I prefer work with a real outcome, virtual stuff is just not my thing) I find that I actually like logistics. When I studied engineering I didn't really like logistic, I'm more a hands-on-person though. Well, I'll give it more time anyway on my new job. I just finished the training and start out on my own this afternoon. So if I truly like it and rock the job, I won't know for another 2 or 3 weeks.

This pic above shows an anchorage point for a rowboat at the Neusiedler Lake in Austria.

Have a great day.

The Veiled Vine

We've seen these veils a lot, the goal is to fight of the starlings who are quite fond of the grapes.

At a salt lake

Make this day magical, make it count, enjoy it with your loved ones, do something fun.

Have a great day.

Cityview with pumpkins

Good morning everyone. A new day, a new month, a new life for meeee ... and I'm feeling good.*

Yesterday was not only a better day, but a great day because I finally ... created my logo.** Which also led to the really surprising and to me groundbreaking realization that I actually love my own handwriting. Now you may ask what is so special about that? Well, for the last 24 years I was either told by other people or I told it to myself that I have a crappy handwriting. Because it isn't that accurate, readable and same staying as they or I would've liked. My handwriting changes from day to day and even within a sentence that I jot down. Now while I was creating different logo versions of San's Visual Art, I always ended up liking my own handwriting more than anything I've manufactured. So that was how it dawned on me. It is totally my own handwriting, unreproducable and everchanging, the same as I am. So my logo is in my own handwriting.

Another thing that dawned on me yesterday when I was in the city and saw some business men in suits, I don't like business men in suits anymore. Seems as if the fact, that I have decided that I don't have to belong to this kind of business world anymore has freed my taste from common expectations. Because I've also found that I now dislike those sleek and often cold interior designs by architectural design mags. Before yesterday I always liked those clean and reduced houses, maybe because I thought that this way an engineer and business woman has to live. Changes, multiple changes day by day. Life is amazing isn't it?

Okay, now it's time for me to create the "Zen Postcard Set by San's Visual Art" for my friend D, who is celebrating his birthday today. I'll show you pics of it tomorrow. It's kind of a joke, the set not the party. His main present is something I brought with me from Rust, Austria.  After that I head to the city to get some coconut milk and green tea. And then I will paint the rest of my new and totally awesome shelf.

Enjoy your Saturday.

* sang in my Michael Bublé voice ;)
** before I show it to you it has to be touched up by a graphic designer that I know. Gimp and I are still barely on speaking terms.

Rusts Harbor

Harbors can be very calm and also calming places. Personally I always feel drawn towards water. These boathouses struck me as a bit odd, with their automatic doors.

Anyway, it's Friday and therefore new music is released and I'm sure you'll find something you'll like. I've looked into the new releases and I found James Morrison has released another longplayer. Funny thing is, I used to LOVE his music, I could've listened to it all day. Now, most of his songs are just toooo slow for me, so I won't buy this longplayer and instead just wait till it is available in our local library. Years ago I also had a thing for country music, so the new longplayer of Lady Antebellum would've been a must for me. Now? I don't really care about it. However if you like country music, go check it out.

Music has always been really important to me. During the last 20 years you would have had a hard time to meet me outside without my walkman/iPod. I ALWAYS listened to music. There was even a period when I slept with music on (one calming song on repeat)! As I have changed so much during the last months this part of my life has also changed. Not only do I prefer faster* music during the day now, but I also stop using my iPod all day long. I often don't even take it with me anymore. This change is HUGE for me. Just ask my friends.

The changes are going on and on. Yesterday I felt like I was standing a bit beside me. Why? Because I wanted to do so much, but instead of actually booking my domain, practicing my drawing and filling out forms (taxes ugh), I did get nothing really done. Or at least I feel like I did get nothing done. I cleaned up my place, decided I need a shelf next to my desk for storing my design-stuff** there and not only found an awesome and very creative solution for it, but I also bought the basic piece for it*** and I ate within my very own guidelines (only real food). Nevertheless I felt horrible last night. Seems like I'm becoming more and more the focused and driven person I want to be. Yes, I know, there have to be relaxing days, however yesterday wasn't supposed to be one of those days, those are scheduled for tomorrow and Sunday. My, my, my, when I pull this thing through I might even reach my "CRAZY GOAL" of being such a well-known artist like Andy Warhol or Salvador Dalí.****

Anyhow, I wish all of you a wonderful Friday. Make the best of it, I will.

* more Rock, more Dance, more Pop (I found out that I like songs of Selena Gomez, shocking huh? I especially love "Stop&Erase" at the moment.).
** Books, supplies and the file folder.
*** DIY-post coming up!
**** What?! This is called CRAZY GOAL for a reason. And a bit of craziness is absolutely necessary in this world. ;-)

The perfect Nusskipferl

I found in Rust, Austria. To be exact it was a homemade version of the "Winzer Café Conrad" located at the Rathausplatz in Rust in a really beautiful old house. The coffee and the wine are good too, but the Nusskipferl* is in my opinion the best they offer (beside the fantastic view and location and nice staff).

*pastry filled with nuts. In case you were wondering. Sorry forgot to mention it before.