Visit the Whimsical West of Ans Carnes!
I’m a figurative oil painter from Germany living in Arizona. I love to blend realistic detail with dynamic brush strokes. My current work includes the Helos series of large-format contemporary hummingbird portraits. These 3-5 foot paintings combine both still and forceful elements, contrasting focus and movement. I’m working with intricate features as well as bold and energetic marks and employ wet-in-wet as well as glazing and layering to achieve the desired painting.
Experimenting with luminous layers I ventured from traditionally glazed oil paints to levels of painted layers on separated substrates. Two years ago I then explored a new technique to translate these colorful hummingbird paintings into sculptures using a unique mix of plexiglass, acrylic coating, metal, and other materials. My bright, semi-transparent sculptures have become my little show stoppers and can be seen in person at Arts Prescott gallery as well as during the Arizona Fine Art Expo January through March. A side project of mine features the ‘Cactus Queen’ series, portraying local models and wildlife in whimsical settings. Another playful approach is taken with the ,‘High Tide at High Noon’ series, where I’ve decided to set the desert under water (ever noticed how similar the Sonoran desert plant life looks to coral reefs?)