Artists in Motion. Anne Baier: "I think to surround yourself with beautiful things have an impact on the way you feel."
Anne Baier grew up in the North of Germany. She has studied Visual Communication at the Bauhaus University Weimar and at École Supérieure des beaux-arts de Toulouse. Since 2013, she works as a freelance illustrator in her studio in Potsdam, Berlin. Her illustrations have been published in several magazines and newspapers in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and England. She also works for publishers and clients in the field of graphic and editorial design. Anne loves using graphite pencils and doing all kinds of prints. Her illustrations are inspired by nature, everyday life and music and have a strong sense for abstraction and textures.
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How was your childhood? Did you know you then that you wanted to be an artist?
I grew up in a small village in the North of Germany. I loved to draw. In my youth I also loved to write poems and songs and to take photos. I always wanted to capture things and thoughts in some way. I never really thought of being an artist at all. But I always wanted to be someone who shows her point of view to the rest of the world. I thought of becoming a photographer or a journalist. My mother wanted to be an illustrator but became a teacher of art. Somehow it happened that I became an illustrator instead.
Tell us about your favorite illustrated books when you were a child.
I was born in the former German Democratic Republic. The books that I read as a child were mostly illustrated by great GDR-illustrators like Werner Klemke, Karl Schrader, Elizabeth Shaw and Manfred Bofinger. One of my favorite books was »Ein Wald und Schweinchen Jo« by Ingeborg Feustel, illustrated by Eberhard Binder. It is about a sky blue pig named Jo and a girl called Bibi who live together in an advertising pillar. Jo has a sweet tooth and doesn‘t want to eat his acorns, chestnuts, beechnuts and sunflower seeds. So he hides them between the cobblestones. After some weeks of holiday they return to their pillar and see that a forest grew around their home. I also loved the collection of »Grimms Märchen« illustrated by Werner Klemke, »The little mole« by tchech illustrator Zdeněk Miler and »Moomins« by Tove Jansson.
What inspires you?
Everything around me inspires me in some way. Especially long walks help me to get new ideas. I love the Bauhaus Artists a lot, as well as former designers as Saul Bass or the drawings by Ernst Haeckel. There are also many contemporary artists, illustrators and designers that I like.
Where is home?
Where the heart is.
What do you enjoy drawing more?
I enjoy drawing people in motion, especially women, hands, leaves and flowers.
Do you want to communicate specific emotions or ideas in your work?
I never really thought about that before. My illustrations are encouraging and always reflect my thoughts. I also like to show the beauty of nature and life. But there is no certain idea I want to communicate.
Your illustrations are vibrant and full of color, how do you see color in your work?
Actually I started very late to add color to my work. I began to draw black-white-illustrations with pencil and concentrate on formal aspects. The last years color became more and more an important element in my work. The more I work, the more courageous I become in using color to get across certain emotions.
Where do you work and how is your work routine?
I work in a workspace not far from home. It only takes me a few minutes by bike. I share this space with other creatives. Normally I work from half past eight to half past three. Then I pick up my daughter from the kindergarten and enjoy the time with her. In the evening, I often make some sketches and take notes of the day.
What is your favorite city? Why?
I fell in love with Copenhagen. For me it is the perfect city. Not that big, at the sea, a lot of nice and creative people, a beautiful cityscape and a good atmosphere.
Why is important to have art at home?
I think to surround yourself with beautiful things has an impact on the way you feel.
Tell us about your future projects
There are a lot of small projects. And I really want to concentrate more and more on experimenting with different kinds of printing techniques. I would love to make a book again as most of my projects are very short. I hope to find the time for that soon.
Karina Miller
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