Our Great World: December 2014

Monday, December 29, 2014

Today I rode the U79 to Kaiserswerth, a district in Düsseldorf, and eventually found a dry bench to sit and draw. The result of two snow falls was snow-covered ice, which began to melt after a short light rain this morning, so everything was pretty wet and mushy. But I think it was meant to be that I found this bench, because I really like this little scene! Looking at it now, I can see myself developing on my quest to document life here in the Ruhrgebiet.

It's nice to have the time right now, even if it's cold, to hop on basically any train and look around. That was my idea after the above drawing. As much as I love the buildings, the people might be more important. Hm, tough decision. They are two really different stories! So, I got back on the U79, direction Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, where I stood around a bit until taking another train back home. Throughout the journey I made quick sketches of the people around me. Some of them are more realistic, some more impulsive. It's an interesting scene to picture: I am sitting or standing in a train or bus, depending on how full it is, staring at people, then looking down at my little red sketchbook. Some people notice, some people don't. A lot of people are uninterested, but sometimes I get comments, which makes it even more fun.

I intend to continue using my SchokoTicket, which allows me to use all public transit in the Ruhrgebiet, as an art tool.

In other news, we celebrated Christmas last week! Weihnachten in Germany is a three day event. Heiligabend is Christmas Eve, but celebrated more like Christmas day. We opened presents in the early evening, then ate a big dinner together. I made two types of hummus; Bodo, my host dad, made two soups; and we had lots of tasty breads and spreads. Perhaps not "traditional German," but suits all of our tastes quite well. Afterwards, Lydia and her host family came over.

There are then two days of Christmas, the 25th and 26th. These were both lovely relaxing days, including long walks with the dog and lots of movies and, of course, more food.

Part of the holiday celebration here is the Advent, which is celebrated by lighting a candle each Sunday leading up Christmas. Candles have become a central part of my winter. It's okay that the nights are so long, because the candles are cozy. They make me want to stay home and drink tea and be warm.

Here is a quick drawing from the fourth Advent as we enjoyed tea and home-baked deliciousness and candles.

Our Heiligabend candle show:

And, of course, a family photo on Heiligabend. Love these two ladies and this stinky Hund.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

11. Dezember 2014

I have been busy filling up my red Büchlein. I am developing a better understanding for why I love keeping little journals like this. Part of it is practicality. More than that, though, is that I can always have it with me and show around, and I've gotten a lot of cool reactions from people who've flipped through her pages. The little drawings inside become more than just sketches. This book, a work in progress, is also a complete work of art. It tells stories and creates images of people and places.

The Duisburger Weihnachtsmarkt. It's here for a month and is open every day, and you can buy the best food and other things. It smells incredible from all the roasted almonds and crepes and potatoes, etc. As I was drawing this, a little boy came by and watched, then went on with his grandmother. A little while later, I looked up and he was there again, observing.

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I am building a picture in my mind in which I understand the German culture, and through that process am slowly filling in gaps in my definition of myself. I’m meeting as many people as I can, and trying to learn their stories and who they are, so that I can take the most interesting parts and apply them to myself or try to use my own means of communication to share them with others. A culture is a system, and its traditions are valid. I want to understand them. I want to get inside them and look at them with my fresh and foreign perspective. I want to meet people and document their stories, because life is short and I won’t be here forever and neither will they. That's one reason why I'm drawing.

I have also changed the name of this blog, as you may have noticed. I won't always be "abroad," plus I don't even feel like I'm "abroad" anymore. Germany is quickly becoming home. Really, the world is my home, and she's so beautiful. "Our Great World" is a much more fitting name for why I'm writing this blog... and why I'm living and making art in general.

Sometimes, it's just too cold to sit outside and draw. Then I tuck myself away into a cafe and drink some tea. I met four old men who meet in that bakery every morning and drink a coffee together. I think that's good friendship.

I love the houses and buildings here. There is generally less space in Germany than in the U.S., and more people who live in that space. A certain beauty comes from the use of precious space.

Below are two friends of mine. On the left is Bernd, my art teacher on Tuesday evenings. He is 84 years old and has so much input for me, and I feel like I'm missing something important when I can't understand him. Fortunately, I can understand a lot. These portraits came after we talked about reducing images. On the right is Josef, who is also in the same art class, and we often sit and draw portraits of each other.

Two weeks ago, Daniela and I were in Möhnesee for the weekend. We stayed in a youth hostel up on a hill right above this Staumauer (dam), which is old and relatively well known. It was a very refreshing weekend: I biked around the lake on Saturday and again on Sunday, on slightly different routes. It was about 35 kilometers both times. Bike touring is a great way to see new places, even if it hovered around freezing temperatures and I felt like I had ten little popsicles in my shoes afterwards.