Friday 4 February 2011

A postcard from Albrecht in Germany.




The last time I can remember being so excited about my mailbox, was two years ago, when I've been doing the Flying pictures project...an international sketchbook exchange.

And once again, like that time, I've been all over the mailbox every day for the last week or two, which is unnatural behavior for me, because I don't answer a telephone and I don't check the mailbox.





And so my post card from Germany finally arrived...a beautiful view on the main street of Heidelberg in Germany. And he wrote on the postcard..."cold!!" With his choices of color he added, it does look cold! (Image to the right)

A week later, another one. This time, a graphite sketch from Ladenburg, at the Neckar river, andIi'm sure it's a willow tree...his favorite tree to draw and paint. (Image at the top)
Both of them, true Albrecht Rissler style.

I also want to show a video where Albecht was interviewed while drawing a willow tree by the Rhine river in Germany. Arte was doing a 4 episode broadcast on the Rhine river and its life and activities..


You can start watching at 8:54 to see Albrecht draw.

For those not understanding German or French,
"Albrecht expressed his love for drawing the willow tree, a robust tree growing on the banks of the Rhin. From the first time he saw the willow he knew it would be a tree he would enjoy capturing, because of its impressive form and shapes and the special balance between the massive trunks and the branches spreading out above."

Follow the link to see his television appearance.

EDIT: It seems the video is offline, which renders it unavailable for the moment. I hope it will be back online soon.
thanks!!

a bientot!
Ronelle
Africantapestry


18 comments:

vivien said...

These are absolutely lovely - lucky you Ronelle :>) and what a great start to the project. Great observation and a lovely freedom with the marks and sense of place and individuality of the tree.

Making A Mark said...

What a splendid tree Albrecht - and great to see you continuing your considerable experience of posting art across the world.

Lucky Ronell to get two delightful postcards. :)

However I can't seem to access the video - I wonder if it's only available on the continent (as we islanders like to say!)?

annie said...

I knew this was going to be a fun blog. Thanks, Ronell, for sharing them. Albrecht does beautiful work.

annie

Anonymous said...

Oh lala...I can access the link Katherine, from different computers...now I wonder if it may be a continent thing? I'll check it out further.
R xx

La Table De Nana said...

I think this is a terrific fun project..will you display them in your atelier or home? I know they will have a special place..do they come in an envelope? Or as a post card? I have never seen postcard watercolor paper..could the travel harm them not packaged?

Little treasures..beautiful.

Charlene Brown said...

I can't access the video in Canada either. Message saying it's unavailable is in French -- is this significant? I love Albrecht's street scene, the lines are so spontaneous and assured!

Cathy Gatland said...

Beautiful postcards - two! You can tell Albrecht is familiar with the small format in the freedom of his lines, and great composition. Lovely, lovely!

Jo Reimer said...

I'm enjoying this blog so much both because of the wonderful art but also because of connections to new-to-me artists.
Your two postcards are fabulous, frameable, so much more than expected. Albrecht paints as I'd like to paint. Wonderful!
I can't access the video, either through this blog or from his website, though I could view other videos on that site.

Bridget Hunter said...

These are wonderful sketches. Very inspirational. What a skilled artist Albrecht is. And a great post Ronell. Thankyou.

sue said...

Oh,what treasures these are! I LOVE this project. I can well imagine how excited you are to find these in your mailbox. What a fabulous idea this is. Thanks for sharing these with us.

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

Thank you everybody...for visiting, appreciating and taking the time to leave a comment! We appreciate it!
Sketchercise

Pat said...

Wow what a great beginning.
Albrecht these are beautiful and so special.
The video is not available in the USA either but I will keep trying.

Medzz Armand said...

I'm all inspired again... I'm glad I 'bum-into' your blog!! Thanks for sharing..

Desiree's Designs said...

Wow, how wonderful to get two postcards, both of which are absolutely beautiful. I think you must be thrilled!

Papierflieger said...

Very nice cards indeed, and very stylish with Caspar David Friedrich on the backside ..:).

Robyn Sinclair said...

Where to begin..... once I get over the excitement that I too am going to have an Albrecht original! The study of the willow is beautiful and the street scene perfect. You are very lucky, Ronell and Albrecht must be congratulated for launching our postcard exchange with such style. How appropriate is the Caspar David Friedrich stamp too! Did you save that for just such a purpose, Albrecht?

Albrecht Rissler said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Albrecht Rissler said...

2. try: Yes I did Robyn. I'm always looking for special stamps at the post office. As a young boy I was collecting them and I'm still enamuored by those little art pieces (if they well made...). Thank you all for your kind comments.