Christmas Eve

The child in the manger, Mary and Joseph standing in front of it, the shepherds in the background – I made the scene in my material, glass.

The manger symbolizes humility and humanity. The birth of Jesus Christ in a simple stable – without social status or special origins – stands for peace, love and hope.

MERRY & PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS.

Snail Glasses

Snails are fascinating creatures. They inhabit almost all habitats on our planet – from the deep sea to deserts and high mountains. Even my glasses were not safe from them. Observing their fascinating diversity has a calming effect.

They communicate with us through their eyes.

Pike & Whitefish

Esox Lucius, the Pike, meets Coregonus, the Lake Ammer Whitefish.

A fisherman caught them, baked them and ate them. The glass artist asked for their remains and baked them a second time.

There they hang now.

The Lavender Bust

A bust made of glass, with its moving skin and transparency, similar to an aquatic creature. Its color: lavender – symbol of healing, strength and resilience.

Its presence conveys inner calm, purity and balance, enlightenment and inner peace. Lavender stands equally for elegance and grace.

The Curious Ones

The “Curious Ones” are on my windowsill – two heads that communicate with each other. Their creation was a hot affair: I let colored shards – put together – melt into a disc, which I then bent. There they stand in the light of day and chatter, chatter, chatter – not necessarily loudly, but incessantly.

They are no longer new, they were never greedy, always curious.

The Crawlers

They crawl along – on three colorful, twisted legs. They crawl towards me at high speed… balancing their transparent vessels skillfully and steadily. They have just finished drinking, but they are well on their way to bringing fresh drink, to quench my thirst in a pleasant way.

They remind me of the sorcerer’s apprentice – of his brooms. So I want to try a modified magic spell: “Crawl! Crawl! Many a way, so that, for the purpose, the drink flows and pours into the glasses with a rich, full torrent.”

The trip to the garden

A little trip into the countryside, finding and feeling nature, rediscovering it and experiencing it. Nature is rich in life, in small and big experiences. We experienced it as a couple, we found it and felt it. We were excited – about everything we discovered and everything we could show each other. We were happy and we danced like exuberant children. I composed a picture from it. A little trip, big experience.

The Masks of O

The fascination of the mask is the transformation it entails. It always has a protective function, it always conceals a person’s face and essential elements of their being, its wearer always becomes a distant observer. In our cultural history, masks have been and are used in many different ways, whether at courtly festivals, at carnivals or at private events.

The task of giving expression to masks has accompanied me for many years. My first masks were hollow bodies made of glass, with suggested faces, spiky and rough, painted with acrylic paint. Later I made them flat and sometimes curved. They were beach guards, divas, fish heads, they were always silent observers, some were given the names of strange acquaintances or good friends.

I called these two masks “O”. Or maybe “OH”? Is it because of the open mouths or their astonished expression?

MUGS
I already have made many mugs. As simple as their shape may be, the results of my work in giving them character are varied. In fact, I really enjoy playing with their nature, decorating them with colors, applications or symbols.

A beautiful, individually designed and carefully selected mug is a loyal and omnipresent companion in everyday life. Together with its owner, it calmly greets each new morning; with it, the day begins cheerfully and relaxed. And he will end in the same way.

3 GOBLETS
I admit it – sometimes I tend to overload my work, to indulge in opulence and exaggeration. Yes, sometimes I do that and I find it beautiful. For me. If someone comes along who also finds it beautiful, then we are soul mates. Also beautiful.

These three goblets are not only very large, they are also completely overloaded. If someone wants to enjoy something lavishly, they can have them.

STARS

“I don’t know anything for sure. But the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
Vincent Van Gogh

I feel the same way. So I form stars out of my material, glass, giving my dreams plenty of nourishment. Some days I don’t work, I dream. From morning to night. That’s beautiful.

CLOTH OF INACCESSIBILITY
There are quite a few people who surround themselves with an aura of inaccessibility. Whatever has happened to them, whatever they have to process deep down inside, they withdraw into themselves, denying the people around them any access. In art, this state is often symbolized by a tight-fitting coat that envelops the person affected. I, on the other hand, use a prickly “cloth of inaccessibility” in my pictures and objects. It does not allow anyone to approach it, it almost aggressively repels them. And yet… perhaps a light gust of wind is enough to lift the cloth, perhaps to blow it away, to revive its wearer and give him a new existence.

When this inaccessibility takes place in my work, when I look at the result and let it affect me, what happens to me? What is the fascination of what I do? Do I also always seek and need this turning away from everything around me? And this special moment when I can then open up again?

5 DRINKING GLASSES
These five glasses are not just any glasses. They are the result of my experience from many tastings in order to tease out the respective aromas in their full flavor volume. Born in the fire of the glass blower’s lamp, they have dedicated their entire being to a very special drink, GIN. To support the perception of its aromas, perhaps to make it really possible for the first time and to make the enjoyment of this spirit a very special experience, the taste of “the highest excellence.” A MUST for gin lovers.

These glasses are also suitable for your favorite everyday wine.

ACROBATICS
Acrobatics is body control, an experiment on the edge of what is possible, an experience of the limits. Holding, floating, balancing, the seemingly impossible is explored, limits are reached, recognized and repeatedly exceeded. The risk is a constant companion. And yet … in the end a body rests in itself, aesthetic and full of grace.

Presenting acrobatics in glass places equally high demands – on the expression of the body, on the elaboration of its proportions, on balance and harmony at the end of the exercise. The material appears light in its transparency, but it is tough and difficult to tame.

PEOPLE
People appear frequently in my work; they are always present in my pictures. During my walks they suddenly appear, only to disappear again just as quickly. Are they real? Or are they fiction? Some yes, others no. They are always my companions, emerging and living in the twilight, inspiring me. Some of these figures of light reach out to me, are omnipresent … for a long time. Until I allow them to take shape in one of my works. That seems to be their intention, seems to make them gracious, because then they let go of me. My work frees me from them. Again and again. But never forever.

Here in the picture – it is one of my self-portraits – the colour yellow embodies my being at this time; threads symbolise flashes of thought, the shimmering light around me, perhaps even the hidden side of my self.

The picture shows me in a positive and life-affirming light, dreaming cheerfully towards the horizon. It seems as if I have cast off everything dark, the future opens up endless skies for me. But there is a shadow that seems to accompany me. What will happen to me?

STONE GLASS
Our ancestors sought out stones and used them as tools – for grinding grain, scraping hides, cutting and hammering. Or they built weapons that only became a deadly danger through the use of stones – arrowheads, knives, battle axes.

During one of my long walks along the mudflats, I was looking for a stone that would fit well in my hand. And I found it. It flattered my hands and became my friend and was then the model for the shape of these glasses that I created. Holding them in your hand is a pleasure. Their design is reminiscent of cave paintings. Also beautiful.

HUMAN COUPLE
Two people stand there, upright, very straight, to all appearances a couple – two people. Their physicality is recognisable and yet it appears diffuse, as if both would dissolve in the blink of an eye and disappear into nothingness as mist. But they are still present, very close, hiding nothing – of themselves and their being together.

Are they looking into the distance or is their gaze fixed on the viewer? We cannot influence what will happen to them. We can only wait, watch, observe, be there, hope that their future holds good things in store for them.

STURT ME
The ‘SturtMe’ – it is a hollow body, a vessel, a drinking cup, a beautiful shape. It is reminiscent of a cow’s horn. You are tempted to blow into it, expecting a deep, long-sustained sound … but not so. Only when it is empty, drunk, can you put it down, opening downwards. Or it simply lies there, waiting for a strong hand to grasp its goblet and fill it with new refreshment for a quick drink.

This ‘SturtMe’ is a special one. I have given it wings … for drinks that inspire … for a person who lets himself be inspired, who perhaps inspires others. I’m curious to see who will make it their own.

Today is St. Nicholas Day. So for this special day I have created many glass figures that are supposed to look like St. Nicholas. But do they really? Isn’t it Santa Claus that I am honoring here? One is the kind saint from the 4th century who does good but also punishes, who appears in bishop’s robes with a bishop’s staff and a golden book; the other is the bringer of gifts with almost endless resources, who whizzes through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer or arrives in an illuminated Coca-Cola truck. Both have a red coat – often trimmed with white fur -, a red hat and a white beard. So – who do we have here? Who will fill the children’s boots? Who – extensively briefed by cunning parents – will speak words of instruction and warning before he finds his good nature again?

Let’s get back to my red and white friends and their lively activities in the branches. First of all: They don’t do anything! They don’t say anything! They just hang out. St. Nicholas or Santa Claus? It’s up to you! Yes, really! They are nice and friendly! So nice and friendly that they adapt spontaneously to what is expected of them at any time. They bring presents to those who really want it. Ho ho ho… aren’t they intelligent little guys?

Three fish gather in a glass – for a fish cocktail.

GLASS BALLS
During Advent we celebrate the arrival of light, Christmas decorations reflect the warm glow of their candles. For many years, the sight of the Christmas trees, whose glittering work enlivens them a thousandfold, has motivated me to create baubles, cones and stars made of glass, which I cheerfully and almost uninhibitedly overload with transparent or coloured glass dots. At dusk, they become marvellous light catchers. They should sparkle and glitter like diamonds. And they do.

FISH TABLET
Fish have fascinated me since I was a child. An aquarium accompanied me for many years and I spent hours watching the fish as they floated in lonely rays of light and disappeared into the green of the water plants with a single flick of their tail fins. Even now, I like to sit on the edge of my favourite jetty to watch the lively activity of the fish – here I find peace and feel a deep inner joy. For me, being close to Neptune’s faithful means experiencing absolute stillness, deep contemplation and complete devotion time and time again; and yes, it is love.

ANGELS
Angels are our beings of light, they meet us when we meditate, in our dreams and when we embark on our final journey. They show us the way into the light, they are messengers of unconditional love. We humans have our own angels who guard and protect us; each to our own. I like to mould them out of the material that defines my life, glass. And I am quite sure that I am very close to them.

The Jöölboom – putting it up at Christmas is a typical Sylt custom.

I have translated the traditional Jöölboom made of wood, salt dough and boxwood into a frame made of iron, the figures baked from glass and a sparse branch as a wreath. At the top, the cockerel has found its place as a symbol of vigilance, below it the dog for loyalty, the horse for endurance, speed and strength, the fish, as a symbol of Christianity or also of securing one’s livelihood, then at the bottom Adam and Eve on the tree of life.

My Jöölboom accompanies me through the pre-Christmas period, in the light of its candles I find time to pause every day.