“Make mistakes all the time and explore as much as you can. Use different materials and be patient and be brave as well”. Those were the words of advice international fine artist Silke Bartsch gave the attendees during the Virtual International Design & Creative Masterclass.
She was one of the eight invited art and design professionals to be part of a monthlong initiative to raise the creative standard of Malaysia. Taking place between April and May, this event helped bridge the gap between creative youths and experts from all over the globe as they come together to share on art and design.
Silke Bartsch is an Experimental Visual Artist at Gerichtshöfe Ateliers, Germany and has had an interest in arts since she was a child. Today, she focuses on the aspects of everyday life and often paints scenes and situations from her urban surroundings. Her stunning pieces of abstract art are revered by many from all around the world.
Silke preparing for her piece ‘Orange Against Blue’.
Kicking off the session, Silke shared on some of her own projects. ‘Orange Against Blue’ is an art installation she had done outside. An unused tennis park was the subject of this piece where the quiet environment and its rigid grid inspired her to interact with them. She moved the coordinates of the grid and created a new, very precise form of art made of lines. She recalled how during the launch of this particular project, many visitors showed up to have a look. One visitor in particular stated that he would rather be doing crossword puzzles than come to see art of this kind.
Another one of her projects, this time done indoors is the ‘Space for Growth’, a solo exhibition consisting of pieces made from oil and acrylic painting on canvas. This showcase took place in the Zion Church in Berlin in 2020. Having been given only four days to prepare for this showcase, Silke admitted to it being a challenging timeframe. However, this challenge led to a creative process of selection and arrangement of the paintings. “It was precisely this time limit and the extraordinary location that led to a very intense discussion”, she explained. Rising up to the challenge, she produced a magnificent exhibition that was truly mesmerizing.
The second part of the masterclass focused on getting people to be more creative. Silke spoke on the development of creativity over the years. She broke down the creative process into five phases startingoff with the preparation, incubation, illumination, realization and finally verification. Creativity is not a linear process and inspiration allows us to seek information from other areas. “Sometimes you have to go back to a previous phase because you realized some technical problems had come up”, elaborated Silke. She then demonstrated how she had coached a group of participants to help them develop their creativity using the process.
The ‘Space for Growth’, a solo exhibition in the Zion Church in Berlin.
Experimentation by yourself is imperative as shown by Silke. The last part of her masterclass included a hands-on session of dialogical printing. Using a halved potato, the participants were tasked with cutting, painting and experimenting with the composition of the motives using a template done by Silke Bartsch herself. Audience members were encouraged to follow along and immerse themselves in the process of creating art. Although the Masterclass was held virtually, the practical session truly made the experience exceptional as attendees were given a feel of unleashing creativity.
Truly a throwback to the younger days in school where students were asked to produce artwork using various vegetables and patterns of choice, Silke reminded that a simple activity like this allows us to focus on dialogical printing and let ourselves into the process of creativity.
When asked where she gets her inspiration from, she replied architecture and nature as well as special situations with their aesthetics and aura. The Q&A session also explored Silke’s preparation process, methods and her advice for the next creative generation.
“You have to remain authentic and not look too much at other artists and not copy what they are doing. Be authentic, deal with own question and follow your own questions”, said Silke. She advised attendees to look for inspiration from others, but always to come back to your own ideas and talent at the end of the day.
Truly a fruitful session, attendees left the sharing session feeling inspired to take on the arts and conquer it themselves!
The hands-on activity during the Masterclass.
The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its ‘Masters Train Masters’ coaching philosophy, which has been practised for almost 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses namely Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts and Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making. For more information on The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call (+603) 7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].
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