bursting sea

and the beat goes on

recent artworks.

recent artworks: It’s not that there’s nothing to tell, nor that I don’t have enough new pictures to show, but I’m quite busy with a few projects. These projects require a lot of time and attention, so I’ll be posting less frequently in the near future. As someone who writes posts here, you know that it can be quite time-consuming to create a meaningful article.

I’m continuing to work on existing series, such as my “The Magic Sea” project, and occasionally adding new images. First I’d like to share an image with you that would appear in the first third of the opera, where the sea condenses and accumulates strength before it tears the land apart.

bursting sea

One of the most challenging aspects of this project is creating a story from the individual images. It’s doable, but it’s still too early to invest time in animation.

The 7 seconds would look like this:

I picked up certain aspects from an earlier picture, which I may also integrate into the series.

abstract landscape

I’ve conducted some experiments and studies prior to this work. In the left work, I wanted to see what the result would be if I painted on wood. With the turquoise on the right, I continued to experiment on paper made from elephant dung.

2 studies

Firebird

I also want to introduce another image where I tried to approach a musical theme in a different way: Stravinsky’s Firebird. However, there is another idea behind the image that I would like to discuss in more detail in another post. Namely, my attempt to paint more with the eyes of a child. Of course, it’s not about imitating children’s drawings, but rather about distancing myself from my sometimes too intellectual style of painting and approaching the topics more directly.

firebird


by

Comments

37 responses to “and the beat goes on”

  1. Traum(A)Kinder avatar

    Lieber Friedrich, das klingt sehr gut- spielerisch, auch wenn real viel Arbeit dahinter steckt. So zu malen, dass man alles um sich herum vergisst, können Kinder besonders gut. Sie denken dabei nicht, sondern malen aus dem Bauch heraus.
    Viel Erfolg!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Danke, liebe Marie! Den Kopf ausschalten ist beim Malen immer gut. Und von Kindern koennen wir sehr viel lernen. Ich wuensche Dir ein entspanntes, sonniges Wochenende! LG f

  2. Myriade avatar

    Die Darstellung des mit Kraft aufgeladenen Wassers finde ich ganz toll !! Kompliment

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Vielen herzlichen Dank! Das freut mich sehr! Liebe Gruesse aus Wien 🙂

      1. Myriade avatar

        Grüße zurück von Wien nach Wien 🙂

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        oh! 🙂

      3. Myriade avatar

        🙂

  3. Cindy Georgakas avatar

    I appreciate your insightful posts and know the time it takes especially when embarking on a new project. Take all the time you need and best of luck. 💕

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much 🙏😊🌹

      1. Cindy Georgakas avatar

        Welcome always!💕

  4. The Sicilian Storyteller avatar

    Firebird is exquisite❣️

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much 👍 I am glad you like it 🌹 I was not sure if anyone would like it.

      1. The Sicilian Storyteller avatar

        That possibility never crossed my mind!

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        You are very kind as always 🌹☀️🌻🍷

  5. Mike and Kellye Hefner avatar

    I love the depth of the first image, Fred. I feel as I am under the sea while viewing it – would love to see it in person. “Firebird” is fabulous!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much 🙏 I am happy to hear. It took me some time to get this effect (I wrote before in a post titled New Horizons). Have a great weekend!

  6. babsje avatar

    I adore your Firebird concept and painting! There is, of course, the Stravinsky but also John McLaughlin’s “Birds of Fire.” Well done.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much! How funny, I indeed was talking about John McLaughlin with a friend the day before I painted it. Just a coincidence. All the best☀️🙏🌻

  7. Rosaliene Bacchus avatar

    Thanks for the update on your “The Magic Sea” project. Your captioned painting captures well the destructive force of a tsunami.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you again for your always encouraging words 🙏 I also think the destructive force is better now. Well, step by step…☀️🌻

  8. Edith avatar

    Wie ein Wellengott kommt sie daher, diese Welle und man möchte sich reinstürzen, dass man nur die Füße, in etwa wie links im Gemälde, so einfach mal von mir gesehen, sieht. Doch es könnte auch eine Welle sein, die sich an allem bricht, was ihr in den Weg kommt. Ja, hier könnte ich mich auslassen in meinen Gedanken – morgen sehe ich vielleicht noch ganz anderes.
    Strawinsky hätte seine Freude daran! Für mich wäre dieses Gemälde niemals gleichzusetzen mit einem Kinderbild. Es wirkt auf mich zu durchdacht, der Musik untergeordnet, die ein Kind sicher noch nicht durchschauen würde. Oh ja, ein sozusagen musikalisches Gemälde mit Bewegung, graziler Bewegung. *Benu* zeigt seine Deutlichkeit in der Liebe zur Sonne – fantastisch, lieber Friedrich – wie immer mir zur Freude. DANKE
    Herzlichst alles Liebe von mir zu dir.
    Edith

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Wieder einmal herzlichen Dank, liebe Edith! Ich bin immer wieder verwundert, wie exakt Du siehst. Was natuerlich mit Deiner guten Bildung zusammenhaengt.

      Ich habe tatsaechlich mit Arbeiten begonnen, die sich an allen Regeln brechen. Ein wenig sieht man das auch beim Feuervogel. Aber, wie Du richtig erkannt hast, ist er trotzdem gut durchdacht und es freut mich, dass Du das siehst.

      Mit verkühlten Gruessen zwar – aber Du hast sicher ein Antivirenprogramm. 🙂 f

      1. Edith avatar

        Hast du die Schale Äpfel aus meinem Garten gefunden???, Lächel… Vitamine helfen mit, alles besser werden zu lassen. Aber abends ein Gläschen Rotwein oder ein warmes Bier sind auch hilfreich…. und gute Gedanken von mir natürlich, nochmallächel…
        Also alles Gute von mir zu dir
        von Herzen, Edith

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Vielen herzlichen Dank! Nach einer Nacht des “Fieberwahns” geht es schon wieder besser. Jetzt geht’s den Vitaminen an den Kragen 🙂

      3. Edith avatar

        Und ja, ich kann mich in deinen Gemälden verlieren, will stets unbedingt deinen Sinn dahinter finden und meine Überlegungen dazuwerfen… Friedrich, meine Hochachtung hast du!

      4. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Danke vielmals! Jetzt weiss ich, dass es doch nicht grundsaetzlich verkehrt ist, etwas über meine Bilder bzw. Gedanken dahinter zu schrieben.

  9. swabby429 avatar

    The animation certainly makes the first image feel foreboding. Meanwhile, the brilliant firebird “speaks” to me with happy energy.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much! 🙏 I am happy you can hear the Firebird “speak”. The next task is to make it sing 😀

      1. swabby429 avatar

        That sounds like a good plan. 😉

  10. kevinashton avatar

    Dear Friedrich,
    I often view your art and enjoyed it without leaving a comment, I guess because I don’t wish to appear dumb in the questions I ask.

    But your short animated clip compelled me to ask, how to you get get such depth, distance and sense perspective in abstract work of art?
    Best Wishes
    Kevin

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      First of all, thank you dear Kevin for your kind words! Of course, you can always ask me, and I will certainly do my best to answer your questions. However, it’s not easy to do this in a few sentences. Since I started this blog, I have repeatedly written about different aspects of my pictures. Painting-wise, but above all about the underlying philosophy. This is influenced by Daoism and Zen, as well as Chinese calligraphy. The main focus is on the play of yin and yang, i.e., the opposites. This thinking has become part of my personality.

      When I paint, I try not to think and yet I’m so focused that I’m exhausted after 2-3 hours. Some viewers think I paint very quickly because they feel the power. Well, I’m an old man, and the strength doesn’t come from speed; the strokes are made relatively slowly. The same is true with space and depth. I could create more depth if I used Western color theory. But that would be too ordinary for me because it is to be expected.
      Now I’ve said so much and probably still haven’t answered your questions satisfactorily.

      In the article series Art Theory, ( https://zettl.blog/friedrich-zettl-fine-arts/art-theory/ ) I go into more detail about the individual aspects, but I am aware that it takes time until you learn to understand certain aspects as a Westerner.

      1. kevinashton avatar

        Thank you for your most interesting reply. I will go read your article.
        Best Wishes
        Kevin

  11. Yeah, Another Blogger avatar

    I like these works. And it’s the first time I ever cane across a mention of paper made from elephant’s dung.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much 🙏 Paper made from Elephant dung is not very popular. And it is hard to work on. But for certain paintings it is quite useful. I just like to try all kinds of paper and hear what it has to tell 😀🌼🍸

  12. Birendra Kumar avatar

    Art is good so good and excellent 👌 Thanks for sharing ✅

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thanks again, you are very kind! 😍

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