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Get into the FLOW

5. März 2024

Inspired by the compositions of beautiful marine plants and creatures, the unique Flow carpet collection captures the alluring mystery of the ocean in its bold vibrant compositions. Each rug is hand-tufted with an array of soft, durable wool and Tencel fibres that mimic the undulating patterns of the ocean’s surface and magnificent life hidden deep below.

Find more information on these artistic carpets here.

Foto: MVS

It is a fascinating process, to turn a design into a carpet. I was hugely inspired by the rich, natural colour palette of the wool and Tencel yarns. Yet at first it is hard to imagine, how the shades of these will turn out on a large scale. How the colours blend and mix when woven. And how the translation works. As we found out, it is a matter of trust and above all, a clear and effective communication between us, the artists and designers, and the craftsmen and-women.

When two people look at one image, they might still not see and perceive the same thing. And it took some lengthy and costly trial and error to find out, how we could bring our vision across.

Foto: MVS

Once the carpet is knotted or tufted, the work is not yet over. Each piece is washed and dried multiple times and cut and trimmed by hand, to achieve the delicate relief structure. that enhances the design and also the touch of the carpet.

MAREEN_Turquoise_Flowcarpet_in_the_making, Foto: Sharmeen Attarwala
Foto: mareenlines.com
Turquoise FLOW carpet, www.mareenlines.com

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OPEN ART HOUSE

Das erste OPEN ART HOUSE seit Corona – mit unserem Gast, der Bildhauerin Elfie Clement aus Mainz und Original Holzschnitten und Lithographien vom HAP Grieshaber, Frans Masereel und anderen. Dazu präsentierten wir Masken und Skulpturen aus Afrika.

An zwei Tagen öffnete sich unsere Atelierwohnung zu einer Feier der Kontraste. Schwarz, weiß und das ganze Farbspekrtum dazwischen können nicht nur friedlich koexistieren, sondern ergänzen sich aufs Beste. Was wäre das Leben ohne Gegensätze?

Blick in die Ausstellung mit Bildern von Martina Voigt-Schmid, Foto: MVS
Blick in die Ausstellung mit Bildern von Martina Voigt-Schmid, Holzschnitten von HAP Grieshaber und Artefakten aus Afrika, Foto: MVS
Traubenbilder von Martina Voigt-Schmid, Foto: MVS
Bilder von Martina Voigt-Schmid, Foto: MVS
Objekte von Elfie Clement, Foto: MVS
Objekte und Fotoarbeiten von Elfie Clement, Foto: MVS
Objekte und Fotoarbeiten von Elfie Clement, Foto: MVS

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A handtufted Rhapsody

25. Juli 2023

Making carpet art is an adventure – and a lengthy process, that involves a lot of work. Many steps and many people. It gave me an understanding, of how important it is, to communicate clearly. To translate the original vision of the design in a way, that will not be misunderstood. When two people look at one thing, they may see and perceive it differently. And even more so, when these people have a different cultural background. It is stunning to see a carpet beong made, seeing skilled hamds tufting it, washing and drying it, cutting it and thus turning it from a 2-D image into a 3D object

MAREEN_Rhapsody_with_person
Fotos: mareenlines.com

“RHAPSODY” an ancient Greek word that means “songs stitched together” holds a spirit of collaboration, freeflow, contrasting moods, colours, and tonality. My friend Sharmeen Attarwala and i chose it as a title for one of our artistic carpet series that was derived from a set of abstract collages we worked on a while earlier.

An air of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation that felt like making music happened when we created the collages and transfered them into designs on the computer. In a dreamlike mode imagining the sunlight caressing warm stones, the peaceful architecture of quiet towns, light gleaming through windows, golden beiges changing into pink and pink into dusky blues, a trance in the poetic spaces of our minds.

MARREN_Golden_Hour_Rhapsody_carpet
Foto: mareenöones.com

Once made into handtufted carpets by skilled craftsmen in India they looked even more stunning. We love the slight relief structure they have, the soft touch and the silky shine, that makes the colours come alive and change with the light.

MARREN_Bluen_Hour_Rhapsody_carpet
Foto: mareenöones.com

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Painting grapes

11. April 2023
MVS, wineyard 1,

„Please send me some photos from your walks in the vineyards“, said my painter friend Sabina last fall, „I’d love to paint grapes!“. So I went up there and, although I live around the vineyards for many years now, I started seeing colours there I had never noticed before. My camera captured hues from dark, blackish blue and purple, to light pink, golden yellow, bright fresh green, crimson red and everything in between. I was spellbound and felt so inspired, that I started to paint grapes myself.

If you know me, you know, how much I like to use circles and dots in my paintings. So painting grapes felt quite natural for me. Yet grapes on paintings have a tendency to look either oldfashioned or kitschy somehow. And the difficult thing was, to develop a new take, while hanging on to the fascination of my first impressions.

Some of the finished paintings for revision in my studio. Foto: MVS

So the first little sketches in colour developed into a whole series, that kept me busy for a whole year of painting. And next to making and drinking wine, painting wineplants and grapes is one thing, that is capable of making people forget their sorrows and dwell in most delicate moments of happiness. Or, I should also hope, looking at paintings, that capture the abundance and the magic that comes from this astonishing plant, that produces so much from almost nothing.

Look at more paintings from this series here.

Chees to you!

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Under the Cocoa Tree

8. April 2023
MVS PINK CoCOA painting

Since last year, I have been inspired by the theme of cocoa fruits.

Cocoa trees look like a piece of art or like an ancient goddess, generous, and abundant. Their huge fruits, containing the cocoa beans, grow directly from the trunk, full of earthly power and sweetness of nature. Once i saw, how cocoa grows, I understood more of the magic of chocolate – why people want it so much, and why it fills us with satisfaction and happiness.

MVS BLU COCOA Fotocollage
MVS BLU COCOA Fotocollage

It is also fascinating, to see the colours of the cocoa fruits, ranging from yellow to green to pink, red, violett, purple and maroon. I have not seen light blue ones so far, but could not resist using the pastel shades in my paintings, as they evoke a sense of delicacy and lightness.

MVS PINK COCA, 100 x 140 cm, mixed media / canvas

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Stones & Water

3. März 2023
MVS, Stones & Water series

Turquoise and bright blues have always been happy colours for me. Looking at them, instantly gives me a feeling of freshness, like having a revitalising bath in the mediterranean sea on a sunny day. In these small paintings i combined bright ocean hues with mineral shapes and shades. Beautiful pebbles collected from the beach, minrals nd crystals have always inspired me and i like to place them aroung the house. In this case they were modelled and brought to the surface by bold movements of the brush.

MVS, Stones & Water, Acryl/Gousche/Canvas, Set of 4, each 40 x 40 cm
MVS, Stones & Water series, 1
MVS, Stones & Water series, 1, Acryllics/Gouache/Canvas, 40 x 40 cm
MVS, Stones & Water series, 2, Acryllics/Gouache
MVS, Stones & Water series, 2, Acryllics/Gouache

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Fiametta – little flame

8. Juni 2022
MVS Fiametta Collage

As i went through my things, a pile of unfinished paintings on paper fell into my hands. Paintings that looked promising, but somehow never reached finish line. So, following my hands leading the way, i started to cut them into small pieces. And since cutting things can be a lot of fun, i also cut up chinese paper adorned with leaf gold. And an old book cover, hand painted by my grandmother Alice, who was also an artist. Soon, lots of leaf – or flame like shapes covered the floor around me, like beautiful flower petals in different sizes.

MVS Fiametta Collages on papaer
MVS Fiametta Collages

Working away in a state of FLOW for several days, a lot of small collages filled the big table in my studio, accompanied by a sense of pure joy. It felt a lot like making music – a light and happy tune, a spring melody, a little song of hope and moments sparkling in the sunshine of a beautiful, carefree day.

MVS Collages Fiametta _ series1
MVS small collages

The lovely thing about making art is, that, if the muse is with you, it takes you into a world of it’s own. Or YOUR own. Just like MAry Poppins could hop into the paintings of street art, any artist can hop into his or her canvas or sheet of paper and enjoy a time off, get a breather and take back a feeling of lightness, of satisfaction, that also brightens the world, that we share with others.

MVS Fiametta Collages_3
MVS Fiametta Collages

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Rhapsody in paper

11. Januar 2022
MVS_Impressions Paintings in studio
Foto: MVS

Busy making a series of small collage paintings on cardboard as designs for the new carpet brand MAREEN. Other than most of my art, these are done with just a little bit of colour and a lot of dusky white that covers the background like soft clay. They are abstract, but for me they have a vibe of architecture. Maybe cities in the dessert, seen from above. I just can’t help seeing something in everything.

While working, I listened to the song called „Rhapsody“ by my son Marin, who goes by the artist name of „Schlindwein“. It’s beautiful theme brought me into a meditative mood and mode of painting, just letting my hands guide me. Rhapsody actually means „songs stitched together“. In this case I was gluing bits of paper together and weaving them into each other with paint.

I have the feeling, the theme of these paintings will also inspire bigger canvas paintings – let’s see!

Foto: MVE

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