Interview by Philipp Wiedmann
Q: When did you start with your running ink series?
Stephan: It is hard to say when the first running ink drawings were made. It probably was a single first drop that followed gravity and ran down through a picture of mine.
Q: Did you already do ink drawings at an early age?
Stephan: In the late sixties, early seventies I made a series of ink drawings that contain elements of ink running over the surface usually depicting sculptural elements. The color runs in quasi circles and cuts through them. The drawings resemble large pebbles or boulders and the lines are like the veneer of different sediments in the stones.
Q: When did the first parallel running lines appear in your work?
Stephan: In the late nineties my graphic works often contained parallel running ink lines. The first series of running ink dates early 2000. At that time I also started doing them in acrylic and even oil colors on canvas.
Q: What format and surfaces did you use?
Stephan: Most of are on paper with a 700x1000mm format but some are on other materials since gravity produces running ink like drawings on practically all surfaces.
Q: What inks did you use?
Stephan: Mainly commercial inks. Usually I went to Pearl Paint in New York and bought all the inks I could get a hold of. Ink is not a very popular medium but some have beautifully vibrant colours.
Q: And the smaller series?
Stephan: The smaller series are created from the same format but the sheet is folded and torn into smaller almost square ink drawings. Every piece is therefor an original.
Q: What is the difference between the large and the smaller running ink drawings?
Stephan: The smaller works are dominated by complex lines, a multitude of background colours and sketch like interventions. In a large piece of work this would be confusing but in a smaller format it lends a certain power of expression and makes them interesting. It is here that you see that size does matter and the viewer determines the scale.
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