Browse through
mARTilda’s standalone oil paintings
and learn more about their story
Sometimes there is an atomic thought, a spark, an idea in a blink of an eye. There's an inspiration that wants to get visualized. The urge to create and paint is too strong to wait for a series as a group of similar impulses. So here are some standalone oil paintings and their stories.
The Nightmare
What keeps you up at night? What makes your blood boil and chill your spine? What crawls under your skin and makes your toes bend inwards?
Is it the incubus below? The incubus that is stretching your back while you get away from it?
Or are these the pulling forces of an imaginative hand that drag you in their direction? Making you conform?
Only you know what keeps you awake and where the soft pillow is that you want to rest your head on so heavily.
oil painting on hdf board (30cm x 40cm)
Collective Trauma
Trauma is a demanding topic in itself. Something dramatic has happened in your life. Does it define your future? Maybe, maybe a little, maybe more. It is like a thorn. You can't feel it constantly, but a subtle, unexpected movement to the side and you start to feel the sting.
Collective trauma is even more complex. You have a group that can support each other, but there is also an invisible barrier around them. The golden hair shines like nothing evil has happened in the past. The shirts are becoming one with the background as if they wish to vanish. They hold on to each other. Lean against one another. Comfort each other and heal.
oil painting on mdf board (40cm x 40cm)
The Unseen
This painting is quite unusual for me. I prefer more crisp lines, but here everything is blurry. If I ask you how many human beings are in this painting, you might answer four. Essentially, six more men are standing on the right side.
In the beginning, I painted every single human carefully. I sculpted their bodies with lights and shadows, and I paid attention to every figure.
Then I made a mistake because I used the wrong background color.
Oil painting offers different approaches to when and how to color the foreground, middle ground, and background. In all honesty, I chose the wrong technique by only working on the foreground and putting off the decision about the surrounding until later.
I took a cloth and started wiping, moving the dark green background color around and removing six figures from this painting. At this point, I was frustrated about all the work I had already put into this painting. So I took the canvas off my easel and hid it in my studio to let the paint dry.
Days later and brought this painting back to the surface. The canvas never got touched again by a paint-loaded brush.
I leave it as it is. It is a reminder and a memorial for how fast six human beings can disappear. You still only see four human beings. I see ten characters. Thereof are six unseen, which are part of the story, but forever unseen, except by me.
oil painting on mdf board (40cm x 40cm)
One Day
When was the last time you felt free? Absolute freedom?
No errands? No obligations? No weights on your shoulders? On your chest? On your back? Just free?
Even for a day, an hour, or a single minute?
A day at the beach. The sand grains form, adapting to your feet. The sun scanning, caressing your face, your whole body.
The wind is playing, intertwining with your hair.
And no seagull shitting on your head.
Just for one day...
oil painting on canvas (50cm x 70cm)
Fallen
Do you remember the last time you fell? You fell so fast that you can't remember where you fell off or who or what you left behind?
You fell so slow that you couldn't see the ground yet?
Everything is crystal clear and blurred at the same time.
What is the idea of time?
One would say to learn from mistakes and don't repeat them in the future.
What if you keep falling without having done wrong (without guilt, shame, and disgust)?
Do you grab the saving umbrella, the hand of a person closest to your heart, and take your time to slow down, resolutely brake the fall and figure it out?
Or do you keep falling until you hit rock bottom hard?
I made my choice afore.
oil painting on canvas (50cm x 90cm)
Ascent and launch
Every human being stumbles into the world with its first ascent and cry. Then there is the launch. Mother and father proudly present the newborn to the extended family and friends. You were introduced. After all, it took time to take your first steps, speak your first words and express your emotions for the first time.
When you were a child, time flew by. Decisions, like what clothes to wear, were made for you. Over time you developed and solidified your very self. From then on, you actively took the first steps in new endeavors and directions. You put your feet out first to test the waters. A chilling light was shining on you, as new things are not exclusively exciting but also scary and intimidating.
Ultimately, your mind is captivated by this newfound experience. Your eyes are tightly aiming for the goal, and you are determined. You will ascent and launch into new endeavors with all your heart.
oil painting on canvas (50cm x 60cm)
The Offering
I'm not religious in any shape or form. In Christianity, there is this idea of an offering. The offering indicates an act of gratitude to a higher power, like a god. Frequently people expect to reach a particular goal by offering.
First, I was staggered by the thought: you give and expect a redemption. Then it hit me! This ancient custom of praising a god is still executed by every human being every day walking on this planet. Some people still pray to a higher power to receive strength and find their support in religion.
But all of us evaluate the expected costs to an outcome, including risks.
How much effort do you invest in your job to earn a specific wage?
How much money are you willing to pay for a luxury item? Will it give you the anticipated joy, or will it fall short once you buy it?
How much time will you spend perfecting a skill (maybe art)? Will you be successful one day, or will you improve and keep it as a hobby?
How much attention will you pay to the upbringing of your children in the hope they do well in life?
To me, it looks like a game of blackjack. For every single decision, you calculate. You might base your decision on historical data, trust, hope, and faith. If you will receive your longing depends on the dice or a higher power.
oil painting on cardboard (30cm x 60cm)
Working in oil painting series vs. in singles
An oil painting takes time - time for planning, time for painting, and time to dry.
Painting one single canvas might feel liberating. In a way, I might finish sooner and get rewarded in whatever sense earlier. It is just one painting at the end of the day. A single painting might push me to take more risks and try new materials or techniques. If I f**k it up, it is only one canvas, and I can start another painting. I might choose a bigger canvas to tell the narrative because it needs more space to exist. Single paintings have their advantages.
That is how I started my oil painting journey.
As a person, I like to experiment. I have more ideas swirling in my head as juggler balancing balls. Following every idea, and trying different techniques makes me the artist I am, but it has a price on the coherence of my paintings. In 2021 I began painting in series.
Small series (3-5 items) do not overwhelm me. I don't have thoughts like: "Ten more paintings in the same style, how boring!". This process challenged me to commit to a definite style for at least three paintings. Moreover, I learned that my style gets "closer" without becoming monotone. And the best part about working in a series is the in-depth exploration of a chosen topic. And the possibility of lighting it from different directions. I can add as many canvases as I like.
It feels as if my horizon got a little bit wider.