 MICHEL BÜHLER |
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Ex-manager of a large women’s clothing store inMarin, Switzerland, Michel Bühler came to painting late in life, but has taken to abstract art with a “ vengeance.”
He is particularly fond of gouache, a thick, watercolour form of painting, but is hardly a stranger to India inks and does not hesitate to experiment with varied techniques or paper types to change the underlying texture of his works.
Passing from the stress of a full time job as manager to choosing the life of an artist has brought about a life style change as well. The peace he now seeks through meditation and yoga exercises of all kinds can be found in abundance in his paintings, which are constructed on a foundation that is highly balanced and calm, yet for the most part instinctive, his very personal character shaping that of his |
works in logic, balance and uniquely combined colours.
The colours he uses are sometimes « washed out » and sometimes intensely pigmented, but in all cases, instinctively chosen to bring out a depth of field in contrast to his relatively simple backgrounds.
Empty white spaces are well balanced against tight structures with movement, again creating the equilibrium sought. Yet he often uses fingers as much as brushes to obtain the desired effects and little tricks of the trade add texture when the paper used is a bit too flat for his taste...
On the other hand, his pure, abstract, painted forms reject the use of any additional materials such as collage, thickening materials to create texture, etc. The content is left to speak for itself and be interpreted by the onlooker. Because he does not wish to influence what the person sees or what his/her emotional reaction might be, the natural result is consistently few titles on his works.
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