I am Michael Ehni, born in 1970, I live and work in the district of Göppingen in a small town in the Swabian Alb. I contribute my knowledge, skills and experience in the field of education for children and young people from socially disadvantaged and migrant families. In addition, I am also a freelance artist.
Studio
After the death of my parents, in 2019 and 2020, I inherited my childhood home where I grew up. For most people I live in a castle, well, in a way. I occupy the ground floor with 80 square metres, the first floor where my grandparents lived until their death I use as studio space.
So perhaps I’m one of the few people who can leave everything behind without anyone being bothered by it. I can easily hang finished paintings on the wall to dry, since the rooms on the upper floor also measure 80 square metres. The kitchen at that time still offers the possibility to clean the utensils.
New artworks
First of all, you have to ask yourself why I am involved in painting. On the one hand, I was born into the world of painting, and on the other hand, it is the balance to my main job: vocational school teacher. This is also the reason why I exhibit and sell my works under an artist’s name. Nowadays, young people google you very quickly – for whatever reason.
But even in my job as a teacher, I often offer young people creative workshops as part of the timetable, which are increasingly popular. For decades I painted for the dustbin in the truest sense of the word, until the day when a good friend said, “Why don’t you sign up, what could happen? I registered with Baltasart and look, there are people who like my pictures. This small success inspired me more and more.
My paintings are created by chance, very rarely planned – especially the abstract ones. I just choose the colours, the tools – my playlist is playing in the background and off I go. What I am most happy about, of course, are commission requests. I see every customer request as a challenge and am only satisfied when the client is.
Inspirations
I personally like the works of Picasso, Kandinsky, Hundertwasser, Rizzi, Warhol and Banksy. But I also like the series “the Joy of Painting”, in which Rob Ross creates breathtaking landscapes with the simplest brushstrokes. However, it is often things or events from everyday life that inspire me to create a painting.
Don’t let this up-and-coming artist slip under your radar!
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