Smiley I – The promise of good cheer

A symbol everyone understands

Few signs are as well known worldwide as the smiley. With two eyes and a curved mouth, it stands for joy, optimism, and a positive mood. Its meaning seems clear and unchangeable.

Precisely for this reason it is well suited to the Schmiertafel series. For where certainties appear particularly stable, their fractures become visible.

Smear Board – When even optimism becomes fragile

The works in the Schmiertafel series explore familiar symbols and their transformation. Flowers, trees, or smileys initially appear clear and easy to understand.

Smiley I also appears friendly and immediately accessible at first glance. But on closer inspection, small irritations arise. The eyes differ clearly from one another, paint residues and overpainting remain visible, and the surface shows traces of a process that was not fully controlled.

The smiley keeps smiling. Yet its apparent certainty begins to shift.

Between pop culture and painting

The smiley is one of the most familiar pictorial signs of modern culture. In Smiley I, this symbol is removed from its usual context and translated into painting.

Radiant yellow dominates the picture surface, while darker tones, overlaps, and visible interventions create additional tension. The simple form remains intact, yet its meaning feels less clear-cut than expected.

The round format

The circular canvas intensifies the impact of the motif. Support and symbol almost coincide. This creates an immediate presence that recalls traffic signs, logos or familiar icons of our everyday culture.

At the same time, the smiley becomes an independent painting whose surface is shaped by traces, decisions, and changes.

Original painting by Mark Hellbusch

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

You can find inspiration under

Smear board,

small formats and

yellow 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.