Jens Rausch – week 1 | Remembering Monet

July 1, 2016

My name is Jens Rausch from Germany. My work is painting in visual arts and I feel very happy for my stay at the SASSO artist in residency here in Vairano/Switzerland.

Lately working on the subject of forest and woods I applied for this residency in order to follow this subject more intense. Arriving here by train was already so inspiring. So I immediately started painting work up in the forest which just rises up behind our beautiful residency. My most recent work was created in the studio, so by now I kind of feeling tired being locked in while working inside for the best season of the year. That´s why the decision was easy to change and to figure out working plein air. It´s so fantastic. The lights and shadows of the southern part is just so much more intense and much more clear in a way. While starting my painting work people just come nearby asking carefully if they might take a look – of course they may – no doubt on that. So I had already very nice talks and my first open air exhibition.

Never really being a friend of acrylics (since I see the surface with the lack of depth) I anyhow started with it just to get an idea of how it works painting outside. First experiences worked out great. Just struggling with the mosquitos and the very steeply slope of the mountain. Indeed it made me fall down once. And I remembered immediately Monet when the Oceans wave spilled over him while painting the seescape. After an experience like that first you feel kind of upset, little later you realise you get part of the nature and the environment itself which is so great to be. So much looking forward for all those upcoming days but I wonder how fast time is running.