Sabine Walter in conversation with ...
Einar Turkowski, author and illustrator
Mr Turkowski, what do you love about your job?
It's so multi-layered: the artistic activity, the opportunity to tell stories and make books. I love to plan my day as I want and follow my own rhythm. I love the creative and the artistic expression. I never get bored. I can always surprise myself. And I have the opportunity to create something new. With that, I can add something beautiful to the world from time to time.
What parallels are there to what we do, personality development?
From my point of view, there are parallels on two levels: my personality development and the development of my characters. The two are of course interconnected.
Art and creativity offer me endless possibilities to express myself. In my studies, my goal was to develop my own style. That has a lot to do with personality development. Art brings out the inner self. It transports emotions. I have to find these within myself and allow them to enfold. In order to progress, my work involves enormous self-reflection, even self-criticism - that is also part of personality development.
When I develop characters for a book, for example, it is a long and complex - often subconscious - process in which new impulses and ideas flow in again and again. At some point, the story takes on a certain momentum of its own; the characters get their own character. In summary, art is about authenticity. If you do something fake, the viewer will sense it. That's why customers often buy not only the painting, but also a part of my personality.
When do you get the best ideas?
Actually, always and everywhere. I draw in the morning and in the evening. In between, I need breaks to be able to concentrate again. Of course, I also have days when it's harder for me to find my way into my creativity. Especially on such days, it is important to simply start drawing the first line. The ideas will come.
What will your profession look like in 2050?
This is a difficult question to answer. When I see how long art has been around, I think that analogue media will still be around in 2050. I wish that books will also continue to exist in printed form.
At the same time, I see more and more digital illustrations making their way in. These techniques are also getting better and better, so that you can hardly recognise any differences from analogue art. The only difference is the material, the feel.
In art, everything is allowed. That's why I see digital as just another technique. But I believe that even in 2050, customers will still want to feel the artist's direct contact with the "canvas". We can remain curious.
Einar Turkowski lives and works as an author and illustrator in Schleswig-Holstein near Kiel. He was a lecturer in book illustration at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and gives readings and workshops. His work is exhibited internationally and has received numerous awards.
