The painting process
The Awakening was created under special conditions, which I would like to describe first, before I get into the work consideration. In April 2022 I visited the Dutch artist Ben Helmink in Portugal. I found him painting in his studio, working on paintings for his next exhibition. He had already been expecting me. We have known each other for a long time and when I asked if I could paint with him to learn from him, I was able to visit him in his studio full of large, fantastic paintings. After he gave me a brief tour, we discussed my project, what I wanted to learn, and possible compositions and subjects for the painting I wanted to make. He planned to teach me a particular technique that he uses in most of his paintings: sand.
I showed him some of my own work and as a result decided to use a small sketch I had recently made as a model for the painting. We thought about the size of the canvas and planned the work steps. With that everything was prepared and the next week I would start.
The next time I came to him, I had canvas, brushes, paints, notebook and pens with me to start right away. But before I began, he showed me his technique for incorporating sand into his paintings. I was thrilled.
After that, I had to sketch my motif on the canvas so that the composition would be clear, and we could determine where the sand fields would be created. So, I drew the outlines of my motif on the canvas in pencil, getting tips from him on the right arrangement. He soon liked my sketch and so I was able to quickly start applying sand. Ben then also showed me that I could incorporate small stones into my painting. I liked that very much, so I attached seven small stones between the sand. This had a great effect.
After sand and stones, I was already in the flow and immediately began to paint the background with oil paints. The background consists of a transition from light to dark, from white, yellow, orange and red to violet. In the beginning I had doubts, but I kept going and it was worth it. I was also supported by the various pieces of music that Ben played on his record player. Music contributes enormously to the development of creativity and motivation. Inspired by the music, we both stood in front of our canvases, looked at each other’s work from time to time, talked about our ideas and philosophized about various topics. Within four hours I had the sand fields with the stones and the background largely ready and later only smaller details would be added.
We discussed how to proceed. By now the sand was firmly on the canvas and so I would be able to paint the foreground the next day. We came up with the idea that I could paint the foreground with acrylics instead of painting it with oils like the background. We both found this idea interesting because it would combine several different mediums into one painting. At the end of the day, Ben praised me for my skill.
The next day my task was the foreground. Here it was more about details, which was sometimes exhausting. But soon I liked how the head and root structures came out. I was always happy to take tips, but Ben was very pleased with me.
That day I managed the head, the wings and the roots, but I needed one more day to finish the last details in the foreground. I managed to do this on the last day, and we were both thrilled with the result. On the template for the painting there are several conifers to the left and right of the arrangement in the center. I let these out of the painting. Instead, indicated rocks in the fog, which should give the image more depth. Finally, I painted small color accents in the sand field in the lower foreground to bring in more details here as well.
Finally, I stood in front of my painting and could say, that’s it! Again, Ben praised me and told me I was his best student in a long time. I am very honored by that till now. I am very grateful that I was able to learn from you Ben, my friend and teacher!
What is the painting about?
I do not want to say too much about the content of the painting, because I think that the interpretation of a work of art should be left as far as possible to the viewer. But since “The Awakening” is very significant for me, I still want to say a few words about it.
Let’s start in the lower foreground. It is dominated by sand and small stones. It represents the ground, the earthly, the foundation, the origin. From there, it tapers upward. Roots grow out of this ground, stretching in their forms up to the head. For me, roots represent growth and the flow of energy. So from the earthly the energy rises, manifests itself through the roots, which at the same time carry the formation that arises on them. The angular shape reinforces the impression of the new, the artificial, a new creation, perhaps even of something supernatural. But before the energy rises up to the head, it is winged to finally stand out from the earthly. The winging of the energy means the emergence of spirit. The awakening takes its beginning. The flow of energy finally manifests itself in the human head with face and eyes looking upward into the light. The head is in the center of the light, which symbolizes awakening, enlightenment, consciousness. From the earth, from nature, from the underground, the energy has risen and grown to culminate finally in the human awakening. But the head does not float above the earthly, instead is still firmly connected with its roots – its origin. The separation of nature and man is therefore absurd and man is seen as a component and product of nature.
This is, in a few words, my interpretation of the painting. I point this out because I want you to develop your own interpretation of it as well. Possibly you see something completely different in it – and that is good! Everyone sees and feels at the sight of a painting, something different. Consciously looking at a work of art consists in the first moment of taking in all the information that is conveyed, but then – and this is even more important – it comes down to observing yourself. How do I react to what I see? What does it trigger in me? What emotions do I feel? What do I associate with what I see?
In this sense, I thank you for reading, wish you all the best and much inspiration!
Did you like this post? If you’re interested in more posts like this, I will be posting more in the future. Make sure to follow me on Instagram to get updates on my work.
Marlin Gerken 