Jens Rausch

Jens Rausch – week 1 | Remembering Monet
Jul 1, 2016

My name is Jens Rausch from Germany. My work is painting in visual arts and I feel very happy for my stay at the SASSO artist in residency here in Vairano/Switzerland.

Lately working on the subject of forest and woods I applied for this residency in order to follow this subject more intense. Arriving here by train was already so inspiring. So I immediately started painting work up in the forest which just rises up behind our beautiful residency. My most recent work was created in the studio, so by now I kind of feeling tired being locked in while working inside for the best season of the year. That´s why the decision was easy to change and to figure out working plein air. It´s so fantastic. The lights and shadows of the southern part is just so much more intense and much more clear in a way. While starting my painting work people just come nearby asking carefully if they might take a look – of course they may – no doubt on that. So I had already very nice talks and my first open air exhibition.

Never really being a friend of acrylics (since I see the surface with the lack of depth) I anyhow started with it just to get an idea of how it works painting outside. First experiences worked out great. Just struggling with the mosquitos and the very steeply slope of the mountain. Indeed it made me fall down once. And I remembered immediately Monet when the Oceans wave spilled over him while painting the seescape. After an experience like that first you feel kind of upset, little later you realise you get part of the nature and the environment itself which is so great to be. So much looking forward for all those upcoming days but I wonder how fast time is running.

Jens Rausch – week 2 | Lampblack
Jul 10, 2016

After another week went by so easy and so fast, I realized how much my work changed its way. Painting each day on several different pieces the paintings changed more related to the processes themselves. Same like I do: By the limited resources here, you learn how to use everything in its most effective way. By some remained colour and old – almost unusable – paintbrushes I invented my own way expressing forest in a remained way. Fading out by reduction for light and shadow.

Using an oil colour with its very symbolic name ‘lampblack’ which indeed is made out of soot. This colour is rising up so symbolic inbetween the light and shadow scene. Furthermore as remained subject of an transformed process and combines perfectly to my former work in which I used the fire to work with.
Trying to work on some bigger pieces right in the forest I figured out a very simple and useful way to paint. It was so nice and I like this kind of work so much.

www.jensrausch.de

Jens Rausch – week 3 | Particles of gold
Jul 17, 2016

After making some exerimental work with the soot from our fireplace here in the old house, I have to admit that the alchimistic work I tried didn´t work out yet. Learning to be patient!

Sooner or later I will figure out the best way. There will be the time when you find your own gold when it´s the right time for…
Well, I changed the work back into the woods to an unexpected step: I decided to hit on the top of the mountain; taking my not so beloved acrylic colours to get rid of them. Of course I was stopped several time by the beauty of some forest scenes – so indeed I had to paint regardless of the other aim I frankly wanted to reach. Realizing about the forgotten white acrylic colour, I was kind of upset with myself. But instead of sitting and crying I just started to figure out without white. While another wanderer went by wondering and showing interest about my work. In the small short-term conversation I kind of justified about the forgotten white while he replied that you just have to „imagine it“. So that was the point: To imagine! So simple and easy. I started some other works IMAGINING the „non colour“ and the most important meaning of the forest itself: The trees.

Painting a forest without trees by the use of just surrounded colours was such a nice concept and brought my work to an extended branch. Eliminating things not by fire or acid – just not painting them was so simple and makes the work abstract-realistic which I also like to much. I just found some particles of my own gold.

www.jensrausch.de

Jens Rausch – week 4 I want to remember
Jul 22, 2016

I want to remember the forest with its still so strong wilderness. I want to remember the mosquitos which bit me to much while painting. I want to remember the light and shadowing, this gorgeous lake view, the foggy steamy-cloudy sometimes hazy mountains. I want to remember the colours of the forest, the trees, the view through the trees. I want to remember the fern in its ‘oxidized’ and greenish colour.

I want to remember the places I was sitting and standing and which gave so much to me. That´s why I harvested this scetchbook out of the woods. Trying to remember.

Thank you Patrick for being here, thank you Sarah, Si-Ying and Charlie for your critic and staying with me. Thank you Sasso!

www.jensrausch.de