Tag Archives: art

How to bring more love into your life

We all long to love and to be loved, but so often we forget that there is more to love, than the romantic love between two people. So I would like to share with you my ways of bringing more love into my life:

Be Love (Photograph & Text by Imke Rust)

#one: self-love.

If we cannot love ourselves, how can we possibly know how to love somebody else? So the best is to start a love affair with yourself right away. Just treat yourself the way you would like to be treated. Take yourself out to dinner. Give yourself a hug. Forgive yourself. And start laughing with yourself about your latest mishap, just like you would if it happened to your best friend, and you would like to make him or her feel better.

#two: love for another. any other. every other.

When you can feel and express love for the sunshine that tickles your face in the morning, or the beautiful shape of the tree on your way to work or for the stranger that moves slightly to let you pass, then you will soon realise that love is all around you.

#three: love to create.

We are always busy creating something. We are creating our look, when we get dressed in the morning. We create when we prepare a meal or arrange the stuff on our work desks. Celebrate these creations and create with love. And while you are waiting for the bus, you could quickly stack a few rocks onto each other, arrange some twigs into a beautiful shape or create love in any other way that gives you joy.

…but the easiest way is to be love.

Be love in every moment, every action and every thought! Just ask yourself: what would love do right now?

Just be love and the universe will love you straight back! I promise!

NOTE:

For those of you, who wonder what this post has to do with my art: Everything.
Creation is love (see #three) and I have started to allow myself some more self-love (#one) to let go more and more the restrictions and limitations which are prescribed by society and to rather listen to my heart. I want to be an artist on my terms. One that shares not only the ‘masterworks-in-oil-that-are-acceptable-to-be-shown-in-the-gallery, but who shares who I am as a full being. A multifaceted being, with my humour, spirituality, other interests, worldviews depression, fears and silliness.

I have freed myself of the restrictive and limiting terms ‘visual artist’ or ‘environmental artist’, ‘painter’ etc and dared to call myself what I truly believe I am: Multi-Passionate Creative Being.

I have also made a new little side note to explain to new-comers to the blog what it is about and what to expect. Have a look at the top right corner of the blog page.

Creating is one thing, but I would love to share the whole palette of being creative and being me with you. That way I hope to spread more of my love and me-being-love with you (#two).

Thank you for being there and reading my blog. Thank you for your support, comments, likes and appreciation of my art! 🙂

I love you!

PS. I do not consider myself a photographer, but I am also quite chuffed with the photograph I took of the flowers, so I just had to show you!

Leopard Sighting in the Forest

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Once again I have swopped the warm African sun for the cold, dark and wet winter in Germany.

As a reminder of the creative fun that can be had in the cold I decided to share with you a little sketch I did on an outing to our favourite forest last year.

There were lots of frozen puddles of water and I liked how clear they were, like solid three-dimensional piece of nature art. Feeling a bit homesick I instinctively decided to add some African imagery to it. Maybe something like rock-art on ice?

I happened to have a white Tippex marker with me and started to draw a kudu. I was moderately happy with that. So a bit further away I started again, drawing a person, thinking this might turn into a traditional hunting scene.

Kudu and man on ice in the forest

The lines I drew dissolved and moved in weird ways on the ice surface, so I did not have much control, and thought adding a bow and arrow would totally mess it up. I felt awkward and unhappy with both figures. It needed something interesting to happen to save it…

Along came the leopard.

Leopard and man on ice in the forest

Interestingly the leopard started to chase the person and not the kudu, who was watching from a safe distance.

Unfortunately I cannot tell you how the story ended, as it got so cold, that I rather put on my gloves again and walked on.

Last view of the scene with the leopard chasing the man into the distance

Wishing you a happy and playful week and the perfect weather for your creative expressions!

Imke

Storms pass

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All storms pass… even shit-storms. © Imke Rust

Recently I experienced my very first ‘shit-storm’ on Facebook, after uploading a controversial design which I made in order to raise awareness about the auctioning of a permit to hunt the very endangered black rhino.

I do not want to go into a discussion about the image or reasons or thoughts about it, but rather on something that I have learned in the past years. Things change, always. Bad times pass and so do good times.

You might be scared, angry, upset, frustrated, wronged… whatever… but this too, shall pass. Give it some time, some kindness and some love. And in the end the storm will pass. All storms pass. Always.

And usually they will present you with gift of the most beautiful rainbow afterwards…. 🙂 🙂

I was so grateful that I had learned this. So while the shit-storm was happening, I could calmly sit back, smile, enjoy a good cup of coffee and watch it unfold. I have made my art, I have shared it and I even have explained it. Nothing more for me to do, except believe in who I am.

Many people liked it, and many understood it, so I knew that I was not totally off-track. The ones that did not understand, felt offended and had to argue on and on, I would probably never be able to convince otherwise. And that is not my job, anyway. So, after I made sure that I did answer politely and ensured that there is no real serious miscommunication on my side, I could let it go.

And rather focus on all the lessons, which it had taught me or reminded me of in such a clear way. Just as clear as the rainbow in the picture, which I photographed last year at the Waterberg, after one of the most spectacular storms and rain showers.

And I could use that energy to create something new. Like this wisdom blurb. 😉

Wishing you calmness and confidence to pass through your storms and the most spectecular rainbow at the end of every storm to remind you how strong and beautiful and loved you are!

Shoot me!

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Shoot Me – If You Can

Shoot me!

That is what she whispered to me.
Loud and clear. Looking into my eyes.
Yes, you heard right:
“Shoot me.”

I continued to paint.

Trying to ignore the voice.
Falling more and more in love with her image.
Her gentle presence.
And her calm and confident being.

Silently she kept insisting: “Shoot me.”
Probably noticing my hesitation
she added softly
“If you can…”

I kept wondering what she meant.
“I know it is a lot to ask, but
it is important.”

The request is clear.
She is not begging or whining.
Proudly demanding.
Kindly and wisely guiding me.
She has a plan.

Since finishing the painting part
and waiting for the stretcher frame
I have been asking myself:

Can I?

Could you?

This is a photograph of the kudu cow that has asked me to paint her portrait – read more about it HERE.

You can read about how the painting started in one of my previous blogs: There is a kudu in my studio

To be continued…

Weird Sense of Humor

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I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook…

… and especially with the inspirational or funny picture-texts that so many people love to share like hot-cake. If they are good, I am equally guilty. Although sometimes they are just getting too much, I usually enjoy the beautifully packaged bite-size pieces of wisdom.

You do not need to read the book, or hear a long story to get the message. And it is usually short and sweet to easily stick in your mind. Makes you smile, makes you nod, share and move on. And the good ones stick in your mind like those neo-coloured post-it notes. I guess the power lies in the combination of image and word, and being short and sweet.

So, that’s a longish intro to letting you know, (drumroll, please 🙂 ) that I have decided to occasionally follow suit by creating my own. Sharing some fun, spiritual, art or other Imke-wisdom…

I know, it is probably not considered to be professional to do such things and even less to publically share them on my artist blog, but – you know what? – I do not really care anymore. I’d rather have fun and be true to my inner soul, than to fit in with social conventions. (I have tried that – it was boring and too often I failed miserably at it…)

Besides finally being able to share bite-sized bits of my mind, I also get to make use of the tons of photographs I take, which too often just end up unseen in some dark corners of dusty folders somewhere in the digital space of my computer.

So here it goes:

I have a weird sense of humor. It keeps my mind wonderfully entertained without you even noticing. (Imke Rust)

Enjoy! And if you enjoy my sense of humour, feel free to like, comment or share this!

Imke

The Hands of a Serial Killer

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Confession time

Here you see the hands of a serial killer.

WEB Serial Killer Hands 2 Kopie

They are my hands.

Yes, I have killed several living beings in one go. Some would be proud of me. Some might smile. But I, I am in conflict.

Killing is wrong. We all know that. Yet, we go on killing in so many ways. Often not even thinking about it. Alternatively we differentiate between who and what may be killed for what reason. There are big issues like the illegal slaughtering of rhinos or trophy hunting that gets many people (including me) upset and protesting, but most of those protesting happily sit down and eat a steak. There is a difference most people seem to agree.

That is fine by me. They can do as they like. But what about me?

I realise that even if I am not a trophy hunter or rhino poacher, I am still senselessly killing many beings. And I wish I would not. So I am trying to at least minimize the damage, by becoming more and more conscious about when and where I am directly or indirectly killing.

Ever since I read the beautiful German poem ‘Die Mücke’ as a child, I had difficulties with killing mosquitos, but I still did. (I copied the poem below and updated the post with an English translation.) Some years ago I tried the approach of ‘making peace’ with them, and asking them to not bite me and I will not kill them. With limited success… on both sides.

But I did kill less and became better at ignoring them. This year there are so many, that ignoring them did not really work anymore.

Recently several of them made it into the mosquito net during the night and had a feast. In the morning they were all bulging red with our blood.

I was upset and swat them all, one after the other. It was easy, they were caught in the net, fat and slow. What a thrill to get back at them! I knew I should not. I felt pretty guilty looking at my blood-stained hands and their squashed bodies afterwards.

To appease them, I took photos of the crime scene, ie my hands. Making art about the conflicts ranging in my soul and mind is usually the best medicine, and often leads to surprising insights.

And to be fair to myself, I also took a photograph of my leg with, what seems like, hundreds of mossie bites. This made me think of star constellations. Maybe the mosquitos are from a different planet? Or their bite patterns form secret messages for us or for them? Something like: this persons blood is really yummy, you should try it too! Who knows? (I just love considering all different possibilities once my mind is set loose on a new mission. 😉 ) So I decided to work on this idea too.

While I was making the ‘Mosquito Constellation’ (below) I searched the internet for a picture of a mosquito to trace and found one on Conversations with Don Machinga and Other Beings – Musings from the Peruvian Amazon, in a post titled: Three Visits to the Mosquito Spirit King. What an interesting read!!! If you have a moment and are curious, pop over there to see what the Mosquito Spirit King is saying.

I will ponder on this for a while and try to refrain from killing those little buggers.

Mosquito Constellation (Digitally manipulated photograph) Mosquito Constellation by Imke Rust (Digitally manipulated photograph)

Wishing you all a beautiful week!

Imke

Die Mücke

Albrecht Haushofer (1903-1945)

Ein leises Gesurr. Auf meine Hand
sinkt flügelschwirrend eine Mücke nieder,
ein Hauch von einem Leib, sechs zarte Glieder –
Wo kam sie her aus winterlichem Land?

Ein Rüssel … schlag ich zu? Mißgönn ich ihr
den Tropfen Blut, der solches Wesen nährt?
Den leichten Schmerz, den mir der Stich gewährt?
Sie handelt, wie sie muß. Bin ich ein Tier?

So stich nur zu, du kleine Flügelseele,
solang mein Blutgefäß dich nähren mag,
solang du sorgst um deinen kurzen Tag!

Stich zu, daß es dir nicht an Kräften fehle!
Wir sind ja beide, Mensch und Mücke, nichts
als kleine Schatten eines großen Lichts.

Translation Update:

I have tried to translate the poem as best as I can. It might not be very elegant, but I hope you get the idea
Here it goes:

The Mosquito

A soft buzz. On my hand
decents with whirring wings a mosquito,
a hint of a body, six delicate limbs –
Where did she come out of this wintry country?

A trunk … Will I hit? Do I begrudge her
the drop of blood that nourishes such a being?
The slight pain that the sting gives me?
She acts, as she must. Am I an animal?

So just sting, little winged soul,
as long as my blood vessel may nourish you,
as long as you care for your short days!

Sting, to that you have no lack of strength!
We’re both, human and mosquito, nothing
than a small shadow of a great light.

(Just as an explanation: In German the mosquito has a female article, so it could refer to a mosquito in general or a female mosquito. I decided to translate it in the form of a female mosquito, because that was easier and to me she is female. But I think he meant just ‘a’ mosquito.)

How to deal with shit in 2014

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2013 has been a transformative, beautiful and challenging year and I hope that you too can look back with gratitude for its blessings.

Here is to wishing you a
spectacular, happy, loving, healthy and abundant 2014.

Even with the best wishes, each year we will have some challenges to deal with. We have prepared a fun video message for you on
how to best handle life when it gets rough.

(duration: 1:45min – watch it till the end!).

We hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to share it with your friends and family, too. We would also love to hear your comments 🙂

Sending you lots of love and happiness, Imke

Last days of summer

Hotel Deco Busting: Gänseblümchen

2013 Hotel Deco Busting: Gänseblümchen A

Intervention Against Tasteless Wall Decorations in Hotels and Holiday Apartments.(Part 7)
Intervention gegen geschmacklose Wanddekoration in Hotelzimmern und Ferienwohnungen.(Teil 7)

Since 2010 I have secretly been slightly altering tasteless or boring hotel or holiday apartment art whenever I had the chance to.

: Gänseblümchen A (finished intervention)

Our bungalow on the island Poel in the Baltic ocean was small, but had a few typical holiday bungalow decoration gems on offer. The colourful ceramic plate was by far the most classy and valuable piece of ‘art’, but it was chipped on the side – probably the reason why it ended up as decoration in the bungalow.

: Gänseblümchen A (Original plate without intervention)

I decided that the alteration should be simple, easy to remove and just change the viewing experience slightly. I had some red tape and after some deliberation I decided a text element would be a great addition to the abstract and organic design of the plate. On the lawn in front of the building thousands of daisies started growing and I really like their German name: Gänseblümchen. The letters for the word were cut out from the 1cm broad tape and stuck to the plate.

: Gänseblümchen A (Detail)

Gänseblümchen A
Coloured sticky tape on found porcelain plate in a holiday bungalow on the island Poel.
approximately 45cm in diameter
July 2013

Work in progress

Disclaimer: It has become a habit of mine, to subtly alter and improve the decoration in hotels and holiday appartments when I have the opportunity. I do this with respect to the owners and future guests. I do not intend any harm and hope that it will put a smile on people’s faces who notice.

To see other similar projects, click HERE.

Are You Walking in Circles?

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I am suspicious of video art…

Usually I either do not understand it, or it is boring or I just do not feel like watching for what feels like a lifetime to ‘get’ it. And yet, I have been lured into making my own video art. At least I hope that my video art is short and easy to understand. And if you do not understand it, at least it will have been so short, that you hopefully will not feel like you have wasted half your day on it.

And so, today I would like to introduce to you one of the works of my last exhibition, Walking in Circles. The work is conceptualised to be running continuously without any stops. So much for me disliking long videos… 😉 Don’t worry, in reality it is only an 18 second clip, looped and presented to you here in a bite-size piece of 3 minutes (or shorter if you press the stop button 😉 ). After you have watched the video, please feel free to read on, as I share my thoughts behind the work below.

A Meditation On Life and Change

This is a meditative work, where seemingly nothing changes, no matter how long you keep watching. When watching a video, we somehow expect that something new will happen, that there is a story to be told, a new action introduced or at least a beginning and an end. This video is moving along, but nothing changes. I could have been walking for 10 minutes or 24 hours, but you will not know. And there is no end, unless you leave the room or press the Stop button.

This could have a calming effect. Just like the cycles of nature, or day and night following each other without fail. So if you have a lot of turbulence in your life, this video could bring calm to it. It provides repetitive, calming stability and presence. Step for step, circle for circle you can let yourself be drawn into the moment and know that the important things will always remain constant. The cycles of nature will turn. The sun will rise again. You can rest, slow down and trust the process.

This could also have a very different effect on you. You might feel stuck in a rut. You might yearn for a change. But the video does not provide that, no matter how long you stare and wait. In this case, watching the video could be a meditation, leading you to the understanding, that if you want something to change, YOU need to change. Unless the person walking in the circles actually makes the conscious decision to step out of that ring into the next, everything will stay the same.

Are you willing to step outside of the circle? And change the course of history?

Consciously stepping out of the circle... © Imke Rust

About the work:
‘Walking in Circles’ by Imke Rust
 18 seconds, looped indefinitely,  projected against a wall. or on a vertically placed screen.
 Performance /  HD Video piece
 Concept & Performance: Imke Rust ©
 Video: Steffen Holzkamp
 April 2012
 Location: grounds of the Salt Company (PTY) Ltd, Namib Desert.