Blume I – Small expressive flower painting on canvas

A simple flower

Flower I is based on one of the simplest forms in our visual world. One flower, two leaves, one stem. A drawing that almost every child immediately recognises.

It is precisely this simplicity that makes the motif interesting. The form seems fixed, its meaning unambiguous. The flower stands for beauty, growth, and something positive. But even here, the first shifts are already beginning to appear.

Schmiertafel – When certainties start to slip

The series Schmiertafel deals with familiar symbols and their transformation. The focus is not on the form itself, but on what happens to it.

In Flower I, the drawing remains clearly legible. At the same time, the colors no longer fully follow the given boundaries. Individual areas are only suggested, others painted over or newly placed. Decisions remain visible and develop their own dynamic.

The flower still functions as a symbol. Yet its apparent security has already begun to dissolve.

Lightness and openness

The light color palette gives the painting a friendly and almost playful atmosphere. Yellow, green, pink and orange encounter one another without fully settling into order. The color appears light and spontaneous, as if the painting were still in the midst of its own creation.

It is precisely this openness that makes the work so appealing. The flower does not appear as a finished result, but as a sign in transition.

Between children’s drawing and contemporary painting

The simple linework recalls early drawings and familiar pictograms. At the same time, the painting develops an autonomy that goes far beyond the mere depiction of a flower.

In this way, Flower I moves between symbol and painting, between recognition and transformation. The work marks an early and particularly clear expression of the central idea of the Schmiertafel series.

Original painting by Mark Hellbusch

Flower I is a one-of-a-kind original from my studio in Wiesbaden. The painting belongs to the Schmiertafel series and combines simple pictorial signs with experimental oil painting and an open, process-based visual language.

You can find more inspiration under

Smear board,

small formats and

colorful paintings

I have been a freelance painter since 1997 and have worked with a wide variety of themes in painting. While until 2007 I was occupied almost exclusively with expressive painting, today my focus lies more on experimental art. My personal background, as well as almost all artistic themes can be found under “About us.”

Studio in Wiesbaden – viewings by appointment.

Direct purchase and shipping also available.