Philip Strüwer

About

Paintings that bring calm and energy.

Who it is for

Who exactly is this art for?

For anyone who needs a moment of calm, wants to let their thoughts drift, wants to let go, or is looking for energy.

Whether in the entryway at home, in the living room, at the office, or in public spaces: everywhere, we should have the chance to recharge and find clarity.

PLACEHOLDER — English version of Philip's own sentence. Must not be invented.

The why

Why I paint

I create paintings that give calm, and after which you see the moment differently, with new energy and a fresh perspective. I know those moments well, when I need an anchor that holds me for a moment, keeps me calm, and gives me energy. An anchor like that, in the form of a wooden frame stretched with canvas and paint applied with both care and courage, is what I want to pass on. I want to share what gives me strength and clarity in so many situations in life.

For an anchor made of canvas and boldly applied paint to give you something to hold on to in everyday life, and not just be a patch of color, the why matters: why do I paint what you see? I draw inspiration from every part of life, at any time. Often it comes in exactly the moments when I manage to find calm for myself, take a breath, and relax. Then I look around: which emotions, which events, which shapes and which colors reflect what brought me to that calm?

Sometimes it is a beautiful morning. I have slept in and watch the sunlight fall through my window, casting the shadows of the trees and the window frame into my room. It is still a little dim, and the colors have not yet come into their own. The calm of that moment, and the energy I draw from it for the rest of the day, turn into a painting in my head almost on their own. The shadows on the wall become shapes on the canvas, and the still slightly muted colors fill those shapes. A first spark of inspiration like this, an idea for a new work or series, usually comes in moments when I feel what my art is meant to make others feel.

PLACEHOLDER — English version of Philip's own sentence.

PLACEHOLDER — detail of a painted surface

How it is made

What lies beneath the surface

In my painting, I look for the balance between preparing a work and painting spontaneously. The depth in my paintings, which you sink into anew each time you look and which gives you calm and energy, only comes from careful planning. Before I start a painting, I see it in my mind’s eye, look at it for several weeks, change details, and at some point sketch it on paper. This is often where I let ideas go: when the sketch does not take me back to the moment of inspiration, or when it does not feel harmonious enough.

Many layers of paint, mixed into one another, create a work you do not tire of looking at. With all its details and thick layers of paint, a flat painting becomes a landscape in which you can sense how it was made. At the start, I give the painting its structure and work to a plan until I have a rough draft I am happy with. By this point at the latest, I let go, trust my intuition, and let my creativity carry me. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece, a blend of careful preparation and a creative painting process that turns the canvas into a portal you come back out of, full of calm and with new energy.