Releasing Layers of Ink

by Martin Eugen Raabenstein

See his work in The Woven Tale Press Vol. IV #6

martin eugen raabenstein. painter from me raabenstein on Vimeo.

“The layers in my work have become more multifaceted over the years. I no longer have as much respect for that which already exists on the picture as I did in the past. Now I tear open the lower-lying layers of paper with my tools more often. This releases old layers of ink which appear as patches of color on the picture surface. This can, on occasion, superimpose the patterns that have been created by the mounted paper formats. I only use pure, black ink. All grey tones that are in my work are a result of the paper layering or the etching of my materials. The structures emerge during the entire work process.

What is most important to me is that the generation appears organic and not contrived. The emergent haptic quality is obviously subordinate to the composition; should one part be reworked, then the other parts of the raster change as well. The raster is helpful, as the entire picture has already been divided and the newly created segment, even if clearly distinguished through brightness and composition from its immediate surroundings, can be wonderfully integrated through the appropriate adaptation.”

excerpted from an interview with Ruprecht Von Kaufmann, Berlin, January 2015