Ateet shows us the outcome of his new passion: painting!
I have been drawing and painting since I was very young; it helped me much to stay reasonably sane in the crazy and challenging world of an adolescent. Later, when I studied applied arts in high school, my creative energy went more and more into designing and less and less into arts, especially when I started to work as a graphic designer.
A few years ago, through the help and inspiration of my beloved friend Shivananda – a wonderful artist on many levels – I started to paint again and embarked on a new adventure using acrylic colours on canvas. Although a white canvas sometimes threatens me in the beginning, painting has become a very intense and joyful experience for me.
I usually start without any preconceived ideas, with closed eyes and using my left hand. Then I let it develop on its own, putting down layers of colours, scraping or washing them away, applying new ones. I let them affect me and take breaks in-between. Sometimes a painting is finished rather quickly but most of the time it is a longer process, very intense and exhausting. In the end it is always amazing to see what comes out and it surprises me every time. I sometimes wonder who has actually done it! This mystery makes me happy and is fulfilling.
Most of the time I am happy with the result and I watch the impression it makes on others and on myself. Sometimes I feel it is not yet finished but don’t know what to do with it. Then I just wait and let it rest in a corner!
My feeling is that a painting or a drawing brings out some hidden parts in me and it feels good to let these parts breathe the fresh air and come alive. I don’t have to understand what they want to show me, but sometimes deeper insights happen on their own…
Generally I love beauty and aesthetics and follow Osho’s advice: “Leave the world more beautiful than you have found it!”
Until now I never wanted to sell my original paintings, although I have given some away to family and good friends. Recently, though, I discovered that printing them in a smaller size on canvas is a very good way to let them go into the world and sell them.
Veet Ateet (Jan Frankl), grew up in Vienna after he and his family escaped from Czechoslovakia to Austria. After studying applied arts he became a graphic designer. With Osho the world of creativity changed and took a deeper turn. He lived for a few years in the English commune Medina, moved to Italy and is now living and working as a graphic designer in Hamburg and Munich. www.frankldesign.de – ateet@frankldesign.de
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