Remember, I closed the last year with my Free Gift. Drawing will be tomorrow, so you have still chances to enter. A few days later, I added a special offer, so maybe you'll check the page another time if you already did so.

This year, I will try something new. I'd like to introduce interaction into our relation. I tried several times in the past, but now I will push this technique a little more. I will intersperse mailto-links that answer questions. All you have to do is click on these links and send it to me without any additional input on your side.

Also, for the next round of the Free Gift, I will change the conditions a little bit. I will ask you to provide a title to my gift. This could be a nice little game for this journal, too. How about making proposals for next week's work? I'll tell you how I proceed. I have a look at the painting overview in my home page and select a piece from there (take some time, lots of thumbnails--unfortunately ugly thumbs, too, as I wasn't wise on doing them when I did those--advice on graphics here if you are interested).

If you like to help me select the painting for next week, send me a note with the number and maybe a nice title of also. None of my works did have titles so far, as you know, so I invent them as I go along.

So what's in it for you? Guess what? I'll set up another drawing for you. The price will be one woodcut which is on special offer this month. I'll send it to you from Germany to any place in the world free of charge. Alternatively, you can have the book (written in German) which gave rise to my first site (pictures black and white only). Both come with a dedication to you, if you wish.

You probably know about my free screensavers for the Windows environment. I am most probably a very critical viewer, but I still like them, whichever I choose (remember, I have one for each artist, so I'm not biased for my own work). So I deduce from the fact that these must be pretty good, right?

Recently, I found an interesting program. It produces puzzles from any picture and allows you to play them. Most often, the pictures used for puzzles are pretty, but not interesting, so it makes sense to use a work of art.

I tried some of my own paintings and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the paintings and the fun of puzzling. By the way: physicians found out that playing solitaire or puzzling definitely calms you down (measured via alpha waves), interestingly more so with women, and at an amazing speed, too.

Unfortunately, this program doesn't allow me to produce stand-alone puzzles to be given away freely. I found out only after I purchased the program and started negotiating with the programmer (from Spain).

I don't think he will change his program to my needs, though. What a pity! Please help me with a little survey: if you would like to puzzle, respond yes here.

I got another thing which could interest those of you fond of horses or carriage driving. Maybe you know somebody who is. Drop me a line and I'll reveal the secret to you. Anybody interested in speech recognition? I have good news for you. Again, drop me a line.

One last request: please support my effort and forward this journal or recommend it to anybody you know who might be interested in its subject.

560 · Don't Scare Me!

483 · Pink Man

493 · Two Clowns

I closed last year with two paintings seemingly unrelated (WW 1.46 and 1.47), but very similar in subject at second glance. Have a look at this week's painting! See how this one fits into the same line also?

Now, do I bore you with my interpretations? Can you follow me or do you object? Would you like to discuss my theses? Should we use the DejaNews forum or the OneList discussion list?

Did I tell you that I participate in a discussion list on music? To be precise: the subject of the list is "Music and Spirituality". The problem with all these discussions is: everybody produces a whole bunch of words which doesn't touch the art in question at all (if it is art that's discussed). That's why I was so fond of the puzzle.

Imagine this week's painting cut into any number of pieces. Let's say we start with only six. Now that's easy. But already these six pieces will give you a most peculiar experience. You will have to look at each of these six pieces of the painting separately and I bet you will discover lots of sensations you didn't realize before.

Now cut the painting into 12, 30, 60, 90 pieces. See what I mean? You will get to know every little part of this painting, and you'll be amazed about the beauty and the richness you will find all over. You will get a feeling for quality, you will see colors and shapes you didn't see before. They are right in front of your eye, and you have no clue to which part of the painting this beautiful piece belongs.

Well, I played this game first with a very simple, small painting, next with a large, complex painting. It was all fun in every instance. A real experience. I bet you can learn a lot more about a painting playing the puzzle than talking at length with experts.

I'm an expert myself, and I bet I could show you much more about the painting if I just played the puzzle with you and restricted my wording to two sentences: "look here!" and "see this?"

Hope you enjoyed this issue, see you again next week.

Masthead images this time by Joe (who's that?) at Gallery Clay.

All the best 'til next time. Yours truly,

PS:
If you have enjoyed this issue, please support my efforts and recommend it to a friend. For your convenience, you can mail an invitation with a click or use the Recommend-It button at the bottom.

PPS:
I have created a site map for Art Quarter to ease navigation and supplied a search feature, too. Check them out! Example: If you want to read what I said about Rembrandt or Rubens or Renoir or Tarot: Now you can find it very fast.

I write ... Galleries | Artists | Journals | About | Mission | Site Map ... with a German twist!

© 1998,1999 · Werner Stürenburg · D-32584 Löhne · Tel. 0(049)-5224-997-407 · Fax -409

Galleries | Artists | Journals | About | Mission | Site Map

© 1998,1999 · Werner Stürenburg · Germany · Tel. 0(049)-5744-511-574 · Fax -575