Manuela Hübner
There is always a pile of books next to the sofa… philosophy, psychology, neuroscience… I regularly delve into them as well as into talks and podcasts on those subjects.
Our emotions, the human mind, the body, their connection… that's what inspires my work. My findings are processed in the paintings… though the ultimate impulse, the final nudge to then pick up a pencil or brush always comes from the outside, from real people… people who somehow embody what I've been mulling over.
My paintings could be seen as an invitation… an invitation for my experience and your experience to meet.
When I paint, I avoid thinking about painting. Once there is an emotion or idea I want to express I just start… no preliminary sketches, straight on… but without getting stuck on the subject… if it changes, it changes.
My way of painting is quite impulsive, explosive, in short, sharp bursts. I find that when I start to “work on” a painting, the process becomes laborious, and the painting loses its life, its liveliness… it becomes wooden.
The same goes for choosing colours, or rather not choosing them… I love how the artist William Congdon put it… you just “toss a sea and fish for gold in it… It comes with courage and freedom.”