227 MUHLBERG by ELKE COUNSELL

.A SPOT OF RED at the  MENIER GALLERY

by the ESPACIO ARTISTS

a London-based group of artists with cultural links around the world.

Elke Counsell says of her work 'those who see my paintings can have their own ideas as to how a picture could develop'. She aims at 'the not-quite-finished look'. 

The orchard in the foreground seems to shimmer in the light. Perhaps the weather is warm, wet and blowy? The soft pastel colours melt into one another but they are studded with a fiery red. On the hills not one but two substantial buildings are watchful;  ancient stories of love, separation, generosity and compromise are wrapped round them.

The artist was born in Berlin in 1939 and life was not straightforward. She lived for a time in the village of Muhlberg and played in this orchard. Muhlberg is next to Wechmar, a village notable for being the home of the Bach family of musicians and composers.

The work above is an expression of a new kind of personal  exploration, for having worked as a translator, she is now a very successful illustrator of children's books (one of my favourites is Springy Jane written by Alexander McCall Smith).Below are some examples of her witty and delightful work.

www.espaciogallery.com/elke-counsell.html
www.espaciogallery.com/a-spot-of-red.html
www.amazon.co.uk/Maximus-Has-Bad-Mouse-Books/dp/1859990576