COLLAGE ARTIST DANY KLOTZ: I AM ALREADY WHERE I WANT TO BE
When I start a conversation with Dany Klotz, a German artist from Munich, who's exhibiting at Roy's People Art Fair 2018, I quickly learn that above all the creative experiences she’s a proud and happy mother. Feeling content with what she’s got today, Dany is a rare gem in London, the city, where ambitions and a constant quest for self-fulfilment are inherent in its inhabitants.
Dany Klotz at Roy's People Art Fair 2018
Tell me about the art that you make.
I create mixed media collages. That means that I use whatever I feel like. As I am a big paper lover, I collect paper wherever I am. So I have a big collection of papers. They have already reached their expiry date and therefore their sense of existence... I rearrange them, play with textures and prints and combine them with something else. The process of playing is a very important factor in my art. I never really know what the result will be.
When did you become an artist? Did you study art?
I became an artist at the age of 16. That was when I started creating art. I studied art at 3 different schools: I spent one year at Grafikschule Freiburg, one year at Schule für Gestaltung Basel and four years at Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich. But I really decided to be an artist at the age of 38. That was when I started to apply for exhibitions.
What is art to you?
Art is an opportunity for me to escape into another world. It is a chance to play with colours and textures, to lose myself in details, be in the moment, be without a plan, enjoy myself.
When I asked you if you're a full-time artist, you answered you're a full-time mother and a part-time artist which was very sweet. How many kids do you have and how do you balance motherhood and creative work?
I am a mother of three kids. That is why my studio is at home. This gives me the possibility to work whenever I want. That can be while the kids are doing homework, late at night, while they are watching a film... But my preferred time of the day to start a new artwork is surely the morning, when there is no one else around me. :-)
Dany's daughter Ella is turning 18 this year, she's preparing for her exams and looks forward to starting a new chapter in life. Ella has posed for the collage "Waiting For The Future"
(mixed media collage on panel, 2018)
I guess it's rather difficult to get alone time when you're a mother? How do you manage that?
Honestly, I enjoy being with my kids. So I don’t really need alone time.
Do you ever include your family members in the creative process?
Sure, this happens automatically. They pass by, have a look at what I am doing and comment. These comments are very honest and helpful. I do not always have the same opinion, but there is a discussion about what I am doing and I like that.
Both motherhood and art are fulfilling, probably in different ways. Do you call yourself a fulfilled mother and a fulfilled artist? How do you reach that? Which one is easier?
I really like both. But being a good mother will always be more important to me, then being a good artist. Why? You know, there will always be people who love your work, and people who hate it. This is not really important. Sure I am pleased, when someone likes my art. But I am creating art to please myself.
Dany Klotz with her children
Are there any mornings, when you don't have the energy to get up and be a good mother and a prolific artist? How do you motivate yourself and restore your well-being?
No, I always like to get up and see what the day will bring...
Where do you look for an inspiration outside the family circle?
I love to spend time in my garden or nature in general.
You've mentioned you like to invite your children for live modelling. Please can you tell me how the process looks like? Do they gladly agree to sit still?
I actually do a lot of abstract stuff as well. So it is still an honour for my kids, when I ask them, if they have twenty minutes. They use this time to play Nintendo or watch TV. In the end, they are curious and proud to be in the picture.
"Your Absence Makes Me Fade Away" (mixed media collage on panel, 2017)
Tell me about your experience at the Roy's People Art Fair. What did you like and dislike the most compared to the rest of the art fairs in London and beyond?
Oh, I really enjoyed Roy’s People Art Fair. The organisation was well-done and the venue in Bargehouse Oxo Tower is simply perfect. I guess this will be a very well-known art fair in a few years.
Who are you creating your art for? How would you describe your audience?
I do every piece for myself... I must like it and want to have it hung in my living room... My audience is young, so much I have already discovered about this theme... :-)
In an ideal world, where would you like to be as an artist?
I am already where I like to be... No need to imagine anything!
In your opinion, does art have a purpose at all? What could that be?
Art transports feelings, makes you dream, slows down the speed in a digital world, throws you back to yourself...
Annicke (mixed media collage, 2015)
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