Ingrid Hauff

Ingrid Hauff

Acrylfarben Maltechnik Tipps

I'm self-taught—the art of painting brings me great joy. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's, I started painting again for the first time since childhood as part of art therapy. That was in May 2015. Since then, I have painted every day. I find it very meditative and energizing. That's why expressing myself through painting has become indispensable to me. Time stands still, and I am completely at peace. Then I begin to paint intuitively.

The blank canvas always demands a brief moment of respect from me. But then comes the spontaneous choice of the first color, which usually finds its place in the center. Often, I start with black to create an area or a line, and sometimes I choose a colorful presence. This is followed by a very playful process in which I shape the white base, the background. The use of a lot of water, splashing, dripping, and spraying colors with hands and sponges, cloths and rags, squeegees and rubber tools is an essential part of this process. During this time, my shapes develop and begin to bring the canvas to life.

I enjoy working with acrylic paints, which suit my often fast-paced working style. I paint intuitively and rarely follow a plan. I follow my palette of colors and let the creation of the painting guide me. Sometimes, I mix other materials into the wet paint, like sand, ash, sawdust, or grinding dust. Some colors require multiple layers, while others stay as they are once applied to the canvas. Many layers of paint are partially washed off, rubbed off, or scraped off after drying, so the underlying layers blend with the top layer to create a new surface and depth in the painting. In my process, there is a sequence of painting over, washing off, adding, and emphasizing until the painting feels right to me.

Although I guide this process and often find it calming to lose myself in my painting, a narrative, often surreal content sometimes emerges almost incidentally. It's my way of facing life with all its challenges and confronting my difficulties with creative energy. It has become a passion that strengthens me and continually offers new, surprising possibilities. Painting, experimenting, and daring to try new things—the canvas for me is a collaboration, a give-and-take, an endurance, and a wonder. I look forward to surprising it again and again with what will appear in the next paintings. I am convinced it is worth trying and giving my creativity the space it needs.