INTERVIEWS: ANDERSON PERIN / BIRGIT BAUMHAMMEL

Have you always wanted to pursue this profession?
No… When I was very young, I thought about becoming an archaeologist to research plant fossils (prehistoric trees) in Antarctica, but in Brazil little was said about archeology, so I realized that the profession was undervalued and that it would be very difficult to make a living from it. So I left it to choose a profession later.

 How did you approach drawing and painting?

I always liked to draw.
My older sister noticed this and paid for a correspondence art drawing course (this was in the late 80's). It was a course of almost a year, with monthly materials, as long as it was approved in the previous workbook. In one of the handouts, there was an introduction to painting, but with figurative reproduction of photographs, landscapes… The first reproduction was a building in a large green space, and it impressed me a lot because of its form. I only discovered that it was the Chapel of Notre Dame de Haut, in Ronchamps, France, when I was at the University. It was this work that inspired me to pursue architecture. Also, as a child, I played a lot with cars, creating and thinking about imaginary cities, so there was a direction.

Training in architecture helped in the knowledge of the history of the arts and various concepts, but painting really emerged in 2021, after a crisis of burnout at work, the recognition of the depression I was already living and the separation in marriage.

 And what does the drawing represent for you? And how do drawing, painting and architecture come together?For me, drawing represents the possibility of creating a world with your expression, your brand, even if it is the reproduction of a certain space in the world or the city where you live... It's your trait, your interaction with paper , your feelings that will create this “new world”, no matter if it is an abstract or figurative, psychedelic or digital representation… it is your vision, your expression of the world.
With this we have the union of architecture, drawing, painting, on a single level: the transformation of reality!
Architecture is about creating a livable sculpture, where painting and drawing complement our experience in this world, influencing our feelings at every moment.

 What is art and what does it mean to be an artist?
In my understanding, art is knowing how to perceive or transmit something that is offered to us by the universe... In the universe everything is art... bringing closer to us, the Sunset, the sunrise, a mountain, a flower, a river , people… People are works of art… each one is special, unique… When we fall in love, we fall in love with someone who has awakened or elevated our feelings to another level. This is art!!! Art has this power, to elevate our feelings, our perception of the world around us, as well as Love... So, seeing a work of art is like falling in love... it's having your soul touched in an inexplicable way... feel transported to another level...
And being an artist is being that person who will be able to help the vast majority to understand the feelings that the work wants to convey… Being an artist is being an instrument of sensitization for people!

What are the prevailing colors of your palette?
In my color palette, it will always have black and red (together or separately), but it will always have one of these colors. If you don't have any, my work is incomplete.

When you see a work of art, what first calls your attention? The shape within the work or the color?
Color first... Ever


 How much is your conception of Nature and your pictorial style linked to environmental issues?
It's a difficult question to answer... in my work there may not be this explicit connection, but I'm very connected to environmental issues... , or else I take walks in the rural areas of my city so that alone and in silence, I seek inspiration for the next works. This consideration of environmental issues was also one of the factors that strengthened my departure from the company where I worked in the field of architecture… There they only thought about profit, not about environmental issues or quality of life for people… a lot, because I needed to do what I didn’t consider right…

 Have you ever dreamed of a work to be created?
Yes, sometimes…
My works usually appear as a thought, a word, a sentence or a flash of a drawing or set of colors… and they keep hammering in the subconscious until I paint. Some appeared in dreams, as a vision of the work or as a word that made me turn into a painting.
A great example is the work “Dreams” (which is on my Instagram)…
In the dream I was imprisoned and to have freedom I needed to paint a picture… and that's exactly what I painted in my dream!

When do you understand that a work is finished?
I think this is very particular to each artist…
I have the feeling that the work speaks to me: “Hey, I'm ready! Ended!". From this moment on, any drop of ink will spoil the work.Then the trance ends and I finish the work!


Are there any techniques or formats that you prefer?
I have a very strong reference to Pollock, something that seems kind of chaotic (like my life… hahahaha), so “dripping” is a very apparent technique in my work. And as for the format, I prefer large formats, preferably vertical.

Projects for the future!

1. I intend to have a spacious studio, because after my separation, I started to live in a very small apartment and I need to cover the entire space of the room when I paint, and the living room becomes a drying space for the works… so I am restricted between producing and inhabiting (hahaha);

2. I intend to live for art and for art (the reason I chose architecture… to offer beauty, feelings for people);

3. I also need to sell my works... My son is going to study medicine and I need to pay for the university.

4. Having a person next to me (as I said in the middle of the interview, my work of art, and who also sees me as theirs… hahaha) to dedicate the love that today I have to dedicate only to my works! Excuse me… Jokes aside!

Mauro

 How did you approach painting?

 Birgit

 My mother was a talented artist.  It took me a long time to get started with the creativity on the canvas.  I am self-taught because my mother did not paint with acrylics and certainly not with structural materials.

 Mauro

 Are there any techniques or formats you prefer?

 Birgit

 I tried a lot before I found my way.  My path is not definable.  I think it's because I let my soul paint.

 It's like eating or cooking. I don't have any preferences every day, sometimes I just like noodle soup.  My art is supposed to be versatile and therefore I'm still looking for new materials and combinations.  On my site you can see many different types of painting from abstract to my beloved bulls

 M.

 What are the prevailing colors in your palette?

 B.

 All colors that match the artwork

 M.

 What excites you about an abstract artwork?

 B.

 The different points of view to look at an image.  Sometimes you see a figure in it and sometimes, the next day it changes into a landscape.

 It is the work with different structural materials, a combination of ink or other smooth products that are nested in the structures.

 M.

 What messages can you read there?

 B.

 Working with my bulls always gives me power and also with works for my clients!  Watching the bull gives them strength.  I enjoy both types of work because it is like a vacation for the mind.

 M.

 Is there a painter who inspires you in a particular way?

 B.

 Gabriele Musebrink a great great German painter gave me the passion to paint with materials other than colors.  There are many others but she gave me the impetus to work with the structures.  The motive for painting bulls began with a visit to a gallery.  The look on him triggered something in my soul.

 M.

 What does it mean to be a painter today?

 B.

 In all times it has been difficult for an artist ... to be understood, to be respected, to be conquered in the form of money.

 An artist is out of the ordinary and needs optimism and perseverance.  I owe them both!

 M.

 Tell us about future projects.

 B.

 The next project is an exhibition at the Gut Kaltenbrunn Tegernsee near Munich with my Gallery located in Innsbruck.

 A great project is my job as a course manager to show my technique to all interested people.  In my atelier they can book a detailed workshop and also from Boesner, a great art dealer