„I get inspired by various different artists for different reasons…“

Lilian Mühlenkamp
Artist from Dortmund But Sill looking for a flat in Berlin (let her know if u know)

Interview with upcoming artist Lilian Mühlenkamp

Is there an artist you admire most, that you would consider a rolemodel?

I admire a lot of artists for many different reasons. But there is no single artist I consider a role model.
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011/ american abstract expressionism) for example developed a technique (soak-and-stain-technique) to use color and highly fluid paint to really stain the canvas fabric (instead of painting on the surface of the canvas only). This way of using materials really inspired me to handle material in a more uncommon, experimental way.
When it comes to less colorful artworks I admire Janosch Jauch‘s (contemporary artist) work a lot! Even though he uses a very reduced colorrange his artworks to me feel very vivid.
So I get inspired by various different artists for different reasons and eventually they in someway affect my actions.

Do you prefer drawing real life situations or fantasy inspired pictures?

I did naturalistic paintings, too (real life models and situations) but I felt it was not such a challenge as painting abstract artworks. When I paint „real-life-like“ I will always have an example and a model (real life/ an objective motive). On the contrary, when I create abstract paintings I have to find my own standards, conditions and answers because there are no visible examples or models outside my mind (like real life situations, objects, nature or people). You could think „…well that sounds easy…making your own rules…“ but to me, having ambitious views, its really challenging and nerve-racking.

What goes into you choosing your motive / what inspires you most?

Next to the beauty of nature which always gets to me, my main inspiration is my synesthesia. Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation (e.g. sound/hearing music) of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway (visuals/feeling color). To me people I get to know, in some way emerge in colorful perception, letters and numbers are connected with individual colors and sometimes situations like a conversation bring up colorful arrangements in my mind.
I will never be able to bring them down on my canvas as a copy, but they do inspire my dreamy looking paintflows I guess.
Third part that inspires me aswell is the material and the workingprocess itself. I love to experiment with paint, I let things go and observe, I take action and influence on the paint and observe again. So the process is also what interests me a lot.

Would you say you work intuitively or planned?

Already answered that one a little 😀
I do have a vague vision before I start painting. Sometimes I know which colors I want to use or have a vague shape I want to create. However, that can also change once the first paintdrop hits the canvas.
It’s not totally random though. I always intervene, direct, change and set certain goals in my head while painting. It’s like a conversation with my painting which is done once we both agree. 

Check out her work and see u next time 😉