It was wonderful to attend the opening of the 43rd annual Spakasse Kunstpreis. The artwork was excellent and the turn out was great. My piece “Rain Coat on Sunny Day” was one of the 70 paintings selected by the esteemed jury from over 500 entries. The jury included, Prof. Dr. Götz Adriani, Dr. Brigitte Baumstark, Leiterin der Städtischen Galerie Karlsruhe, Prof. Erwin Gross, Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe, Prof. Dr. Pia Müller-Tamm, Direktorin der Staatlichen Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Prof. Dr. Curt Diehm, Dr. Sigrid Ingenohl and Sparkassendirektor Michael Huber, Vorstandsvorsitzender der Sparkasse Karlsruhe. The show was held at the Spakasse Customer Center on the Europaplatz Karlsruhe which provided a great environment for the show. The show runs from March 6th until the 25th.

Making the event especially personal is that this was my first art opening since I moved to Germany. Painting is my hobby so I don’t approach it with strong professional intent, meaning I don’t go after shows or recognition for my painting, it’s something I do that is private in my limited free time. I have been in a few art shows in the past and have since childhood made my own art, however, working as a motion graphics designer and editor and formally as a scenic artist, working on big-budget films and themed attractions have given me plenty of creative satisfaction. Painting and art-video are reserved for exploration and experimentation. It’s what I can do for the joy of creating without the restrictions of client/brand criteria. That said, I left my comfort zone and entered this competition with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised and very happy to be a part of this great event with so many very talented artists. Excited by this experience I will do it again but for now, I better keep my day job.

As far as creating fine art compared to commercial art; I have always made my own artwork and as long as I can remember I’ve done both. I painted my first mural in my elementary school and many more in my high school but at the same time designed my first logos. I went to college for graphic design and have work in some creative capacity my entire life. For this good fortune, I am very thankful.

You could check in on my painting progress on Instagram @siarkiewiczacheck