Art meets forest
- Esther Wiederhold
- Jun 15
- 5 min read
Interview with EstherHoldi (Esther Wiederhold)
1. Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.
My name is Esther Wiederhold. I am sixty years old. I live in a rural area. My house is located right at the edge of the forest, and I have a close connection to nature. After studying art education at the University of Fine Arts in Kassel, I entered the Hessian school service and have now been a teacher for more than 35 years. I have been expressing myself through my art for as long as I can remember, and I have initiated very intense creative processes in my students as well. I worked for many years as an art teacher up to grade 9, but now only in elementary school. My personal artistic path only led to the public in recent years. I have exhibited through the VisualArtJournal in New York, initiated a forest gallery, and also participated in art exhibitions in the surrounding area. My passion is outdoor art.
2. Describe what a normal day looks like as an artist.
Since I am currently still working in the teaching profession, I can only pursue my passion in my free hours and days. Usually, I am initially inspired by a thought or a feeling that I want to express. I am fascinated by a blank sheet or a blank canvas and develop an idea. Most of the time I lose track of time while working; I lose myself in my portraits, so to speak. I usually start in the morning and don't look at the clock again until I am satisfied and exhausted. In February 2028 I will retire and will dedicate myself solely and exclusively to my creativity.
3. Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?
I mainly draw and paint portraits of women. I am inspired by faces, the expression of emotions in the face. Often I also emphasize eyes. This is intentional because they reflect what I want to convey with the pictures. I often comment on my portraits of women with quotes or my thoughts on the subject I want to express. I photograph the smaller pictures and have them brushed onto alu. This makes them weather-resistant. I have hung some pictures on trees in the forest. There, they interact with nature. The trees benefit from my colorful pictures, and the pictures benefit from the light effects of the times of day and seasons.
4. How does your art life impact other parts of your life?
My creativity influences all aspects of my living space. I design both in the garden and in the house, in my surroundings and in my work at school. By hanging pictures in the forest, I am also interacting with people. I often evoke positive emotions with my colorful pictures. Through profound words or even aphorisms related to my images, I try to stimulate thought processes. For example, I name a picture "fairy tale" and write alongside it: "Fairy tales and other truths." I especially want to empower women with words, quotes, that highlight their value. The picture "Queen" describes this particularly. "Queen" Women, seek your original strength – beyond fashions, customs, religions, far from what is proper or how one behaves. Above all, never make lazy compromises when it comes to love! Never let yourself be bargained down.
5. Could you share any difficulties and hardships you had to face in life and how or if you managed/overcame them?
I lived alone for several years with my daughter, the house, and a Newfoundland dog. It was sometimes difficult to keep everything "under one roof." I think I managed well to be both mother and father at the same time. During this time, the pandemic also occurred, which was not easy for me as a single person. My art helped me a lot in quiet hours. I not only painted but also wrote, read a lot, and developed myself as a woman. Today I stand very strong and confident in life.
6. Tell us about your best experience in the art world so far.
My best experience in the art world was my first exhibitions. For the first time, I was able to cautiously realize that my art can move people, that it is liked, that it stimulates thinking. I had not previously been aware that I might not only suffice for myself, but that something in my pictures is also good for others. In whatever form.
7. Share your worst experience in the art world.
My worst experience in the art world was with some professors at the university where I studied. I often felt neither seen nor heard. I believed that no one considered me talented. During those years, I still hadn’t had the chance to really find myself. I had hoped for more from my studies. Artistically, it was a disappointment. At that time, I found the art world in Kassel to be arrogant and detached. My head was full of colorful images, but actually, the expectation was that I would pour a bucket of dirt into a room and come up with a statement about it. That did not inspire me. I did not have the realization that art can be anything. Art is a daughter of freedom.
8. What practical advice can you give to fellow artists?
Whatever you want to be, be it! Whatever you want to express, express it! Whatever you want to do, do it! You rise and fall not because of the opinion others have of you. You rise and fall because of what you think about yourself.
9. Is the artist life lonely? Please share your thoughts and experiences.
In my head, I am alone as an artist. I go through large processes while painting a picture. Sometimes I am a little absent for days, submerged, inspired. That helps me not to take life so deadly seriously. In my head, other things stop. I don't think about how I pay bills, what I cook, which appointments are coming up. I only think about my picture, nothing else. Painting is the healthiest thing I can think of besides sports. Yes, in the process I am alone. When I take my picture to the public, I am no longer.
10. What are you working on at the moment and are there any upcoming events you would like to talk about?
At the moment I am working on a very large scale. I feel like working on large canvases, with colorfulness and surface. In my artistic process, I am moving more into the public. I have written some applications, am planning another forest gallery and further exhibitions. In two years, when I no longer have to work, I would also like to exhibit abroad more frequently. Soon I have a painting exhibited at Expo Metro in Madrid and might take part in an exhibition in Vienna. I am very much looking forward to the future.
Social Media: estherholdi@instagram.com
