If you don’t have any fixed plans, you won’t be disappointed. For Claudia Botz, the process decides how things develop and what a finished work of art looks like. The autodidact paints pictures that change depending on the point of view of the viewer. She calls this mixed technique “Reflecting Moving Art”, in which reflective paint made from acrylic and glass particles makes the motif appear alive. The artist was born and raised in Munich and has found her biotope in the Westend, where she feels really comfortable with her studio. She seeks contact with people and enjoys the fact that her workshop can be seen from the street. “Life is art and art is my life,” she says. Her motto: the main thing is colour.
The artist, who is preparing an exhibition at the Max Planck Institute in Martinsried this week, talks about a painting called “Ring of Fire”. On a black background one sees white, yellow and orange reflective brushstrokes that vary in their color intensity and look like two opened rings that merge into one another. “Depending on the incidence of light, the picture changes its effect on the viewer, he has to change his perspective in order to be able to see the situation completely”. It’s the same in life, she says.
No girly pink, but bold pink: Claudia Botz wants to use her colors to influence people’s moods.
(Photo: private)
Johnny Cash’s famous country song was at most an unconscious inspiration for the work of art, Claudia Botz draws the true inspiration from nature and the four elements. In her work, she uses the fact that colors influence people’s moods. A strong pink – not a girl’s pink – ensures that the corners of our mouths go up immediately. And that’s not just the case with women, says Claudia Botz jokingly. Nevertheless, the pictures never have the same effect on their viewers: “Art is free, that’s the way it should be.” Claudia Botz mainly works with acrylic and oil paints, but unusual materials are also used. Marble powder, swamp lime or construction sand result in a structure when drying through cracks, which forms the starting point for working with the mood-inducing colors and shapes.
Claudia Botz has always painted, but it was a career change five years ago that prompted her to put everything on one card and make a living from painting. Committing to one thing has always been too boring for her, she says. Besides abstract painting, she makes murals for clients. She has illustrated a book about wild bees, in which children can learn about the importance of pollinators for plant diversity. She describes it as a real pleasure to bring the original splendor of old buildings back to life through reconstruction painting.
Anyone longing for a change of perspective can marvel at the moving and moving art of Claudia Botz from August 15 to September 30 in the main building of the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried.