LITHOGRAPHIC WORKS
For many years, I have been fascinated by the different techniques of stone printing. In 2001 I attended a course in Lithography at the Druckwerk (printing workshop) in Basel. Since then I am full of enthusiasm for this further utilisation of stone as basic material for artistic expression, though it is totally different from sculpturing. Sketching is mostly done with black wax crayons and Japanese ink.
Besides learning the techniques of stone printing I was fascinated by the grinding of the limestone plates from Solnhofen in Bavaria. These plates need to be precisely planar to allow equal prints. This is done by grinding with carborundum powder. A spoonful of carborundum is spread on the wet limestone and grinding is done with a second limestone plate. This joyful playing with wet sand initiated the wish to create pictures with a similar technique.
In 2003 I began to use toner powder from laser printers or photo copiers as sketching material, because it seemed quite similar in handling to carborundum powder. Toner powder is made of extremely small plastic particles with black pigment. The powder can be spread by hand or with a brush. I work with dry powder or on moistened stone. It is not possible to work as precisely with toner powder as with black wax crayons or Japanese ink, but you can wash it away if you don't like the picture. Wax or ink is very difficult to erase. You have to use pumice stone or a scalpel.
This technique helps me to get away from the figurative precise drawing or painting. Especially this almost child-like drawing with fingers gives a lot of pleasure. Two effects compete constantly: creativity and the physical effect of surface tension of water. You can only indicate directions of the powder layer. The little black powder balls move as if by their own will.
