{"id":24094,"date":"2026-11-06T16:00:54","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hahnemuehle.com\/en\/?p=24094"},"modified":"2026-11-06T16:37:45","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:37:45","slug":"manuela-lohmann-nature-meets-urban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.hahnemuehle.com\/en\/manuela-lohmann-nature-meets-urban\/","title":{"rendered":"Collector of Moments \u2013 Manuela Lohmann Between Nature and Industrial Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Dear Manuela, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! We\u2019re delighted to learn more about you, your artistic work, and especially your series Nature meets Urban<\/em>, in which you bring together nature and industrial heritage in such a unique way.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Let\u2019s dive straight into our first question: For those discovering you and your art for the first time, could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us how your artistic journey began?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am Manuela Lohmann, a self-taught watercolour artist and urban sketcher. I come from near Hamburg and have lived in Saarland for more than 20 years. Perhaps that is precisely why I am fascinated by the apparent contrasts between closeness and openness, nature, the city and industrial heritage.<\/p>\n

From an early age, I tried to escape the confines of my childhood through painting and drawing. Being creative gives me peace and relaxation, and I love becoming completely absorbed in the creative flow.<\/p>\n

I paint and draw every day. When I go for walks, it is sometimes not the grand building that catches my attention but a plant by the roadside, a door in an unusual colour or a shadow on an old wall. Such seemingly insignificant details can later become the starting point for an entire painting.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”24097″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You describe yourself as a \u201ccollector of moments\u201d. What does this idea mean to you, and how does it influence the way you observe and capture places, light and fleeting details in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The expression \u201ccollector of moments\u201d was coined by the writer Christian Malessa. In the summer of 2022, he spotted me on the banks of the Saar in Merzig, immersed in my sketchbook as I drew the historic towboat Anna-Leonie. Together with photographer Michel von Boch, he was working on their book \u201cAm stillen Fluss \u2013 Begegnungen entlang der Saar\u201d (\u201cBy the Quiet River \u2013 Encounters Along the Saar\u201d). This chance encounter became the chapter \u201cDie Sammlerin der Augenblicke \u2013 Manuela und die Anna-Leonie\u201d (\u201cThe Collector of Moments \u2013 Manuela and the Anna-Leonie\u201d) in their book.<\/p>\n

When I read the chapter, I was surprised by how accurately the author had described the way I work. Until then, I had not realised that I really do collect moments. Today I say: I do not collect sights. I collect moments.<\/p>\n

I am interested in more than just the obvious views. My eye is often drawn to what grows nearby, what has weathered with time, what casts a shadow or what is easily overlooked. When I look at old and new buildings, I wonder what they have experienced over the years. Doors particularly fascinate me: each has its own design, concealing rooms and stories.<\/p>\n

For me, light and shadow heighten the tension between what is visible and what remains undiscovered or unknown. Colour brings everything to life. It can be subtle or bold, warm or cool, playful or serious. I consider it a gift to notice moments and be able to preserve them in a painting.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”24098″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]How would you describe your artistic approach, and which drawing and painting media do you use most often?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Watercolour is my primary medium. I often start with a light pencil sketch, add selected lines with waterproof ink and then introduce colour. Depending on the subject, I also use watercolour markers, artists\u2019 watercolour pencils or occasional opaque accents with acrylic markers.<\/p>\n

My work combines close observation with a loose, expressive watercolour style. I plan the composition carefully, but I do not want to control the watercolour completely. Water and pigment are allowed to leave traces of their own. Free-flowing washes, splashes and lively lines sit alongside deliberately refined details. For me, it is precisely this contrast that brings the work to life.<\/p>\n

I research the history and significance of many of my subjects. My aim is not to judge, but to discover something new and see familiar places from a different perspective. My sketchbooks preserve observations, colour tests and ideas for compositions. Artists such as Felix Scheinberger, Jens H\u00fcbner, Gris and Albert Rissler have influenced the way I approach loose, narrative drawing and watercolour painting.<\/p>\n

Could you take us through your creative process \u2013 from your first observations and colour tests in your sketchbook to developing the composition and completing the artwork?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It usually begins with an observation: a particular quality of light, a colour, a shape or a contrast. I record the subject in a sketch, photograph or note, and then research the place, building or plant. That knowledge can influence the composition without turning the painting into a documentary depiction.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]In my sketchbook, I develop a small compositional study. I arrange the elements, check their proportions and distribute the light and dark areas. I pay attention to creating a clear focal point and guiding the viewer\u2019s eye through the image. In my series \u201cNature meets Urban\u201d, I deliberately alter the relative scale of the architecture and plants until the desired tension emerges.<\/p>\n

Then I test colour harmonies and contrasts in my sketchbook and choose the right paper. The key factors are its surface, water absorption, format, weight and colour.<\/p>\n

On the final sheet, I lightly sketch the proportions in pencil and, depending on the subject, add waterproof ink. Then I apply the watercolour. I leave what seems to be a finished painting alone for a while. With some distance, I can see more clearly whether it needs one final, carefully placed accent.<\/p>\n

Your series Nature meets Urban combines the architecture and industrial heritage of Saarland with enlarged botanical elements. What inspired this combination, and what fascinates you about bringing nature and urban structures together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Saarland, nature, architecture and industrial heritage exist in close proximity. Mining structures, old workshops, historic fa\u00e7ades and modern glass surfaces meet plants growing along roadsides, on disused industrial sites or in the heart of the city. I am interested not only in beautiful views, but especially in contrasts, signs of wear and unexpected symbioses.<\/p>\n

The plants are not merely decorative additions. I enlarge them and give them the same importance as the architecture. In my paintings, rowan berries can be just as prominent as the Saarpolygon monument; a prickly teasel can stand opposite a winding tower. What fascinates me is the moment when the familiar hierarchy shifts: the overlooked becomes large, and the monumental is given a counterpart.<\/p>\n

When choosing plants, I consider not only their shape and colour but also their character, symbolism and location. This creates connections with the history and impact of the buildings. I do not want to romanticise familiar places, but to preserve their distinctive character while showing them from an unexpected perspective.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Manuela Lohmann (@manu.elalohmann)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n