Presented by Hummingbirds Studios

www.windykai.wordpress.com
1.What is your background and how has it
affected your art today?
Heike Werntgen is a trained actress, theatre
director and acting teacher. She is living and
working in Cologne. Due to her passion for
creating theatre, she also creates sets and
costumes with her students. She loves
working with various visual artists to give
her theatre shows a special design. Heike´s
passion for the arts started when she was
very young at the age of 6, visiting art
museums and taking painting classes. She
started painting herself, inspired by artists
such as Lichtenstein, Monet, Warhol and
Gaugin and visual artists she knows in
person. Her passion is colourful mixed media
acrylic art.
2 What do you feel you are saying with
your Art.
My art is my expression of the beauty of
life.

4. Who or What are your biggest influences?

My biggest influences are Britta Reinhardt
(Leverkusen, Germany), Zoe Rosenberg (New
York City, USA), Katrin Bauck (Emmen,
Germany), Stefanie Lück (Hamburg,
Germany), Shea Bartel (New York City,
USA) and Giovanni Forlino (London, Great
Britain) as well as Degas, Warhol,
Lichtenstein, Monet and Gaugin. Also I love
to travel to New York and wander through
the galleries in Chelsea.

5. What Projects are you working on now?

At the moment I like to work with mixed
media, acrylic and stamps. Also I have an
order from Kansas, USA for a huge painting
on canvas that I´m working on currently.

6. What is your favorite place to see Art?

My favorite place to see art is a gallery or
in a play.

7. What are your favorite Mediums?

My favorite mediums at the moment are
acrylic paint on cardboard with sides of old
books and stamps. I love metallic and neon
paint and I work mainly with brushes and
from time to time with a spatula.

8. What's the most indispensable item in

your studio?
The most indispensable item in my studio is
a thin brush.

9. Where are you finding ideas for your

work these days?
My ideas are mainly from nature especially
from my trips to Costa Rica. I also like
looking for art on various pages such as
mixed media groups on facebook or looking
for art on pinterest.
10. Do you collect anything?
I`m not really collecting anything but as
my friends know about my passion for
penguins, I keep getting lovely penguins.

11. What is your Art World pet peeve?

My art world pet peeve is the idea that art
can either be "right or wrong". I believe that
everybody is an artist but some people never
dare to create because of too many
judgments.

12. What work of art do you wish you

owned?
I´d love to own Warhols Marilyn Monroe. I
had the pleasure to play Marylin Monroe
once in shows and I love the colours and the
idea of Warhols creation.

13. Who is your favorite Living Artist?

Britta Reinhardt. Her wonderful and
colourful paintings of penguins and zebras
are simply stunning.

14. Who's your favorite Artist in History?

Monet. His "garden" paintings are delightful
in many ways.

15. What are your hobbies?

Dancing, especially ballet, reading and of
course: painting.

16. Why do you do what you do?

I love what I do and I love painting. It´s
such a wonderful expression and it gives me
joy if people enjoy my art.

17. How do you work, What is your process?

Usually I start with laying out all my
supplies. Then I pick out some pages of an
old book and paste it on a cardboard or a
canvas. I like too start painting, when the
glue is still wet, so the book page creates a
little bumpy surface. Most of the time after
that I apply white paint with a broad brush
on multiple places. After that I start
painting, mainly with multiple colours. I
especially like turquoise, purple, blue and
neon colours such as neon green, neon pink
and neon yellow. In the end I take various
stamps and ink pads to create an extra level.
Sometimes I wait until the paint is dry but
most of the time working with the stamps on
the wet surface creates extra depth. In the
end I sometimes sprinkle metallic colours on
top.

18. What, in your opinion, is integral to the

work of an artist?
Integral to the work of an artist is to have
fun and enjoy what your doing.
19. What role do you feel the artist has in
society?

Art is the fun and wonder of society.

20. What has been a seminal experience for
you?
A seminal experience was to meet Ariel and
Shya Kane and their revolutionary approach
"working on yourseld doesn´t work"
(www.transformationmadeeasy.com)

21. Please explain what you do in 100

words or less....
My paintings are expression of the joy of
living. I work with mixed media and acrylic
paint on cardboard and I love to paint
animals in an abstract way. I also enjoy
painting abstract flowers and experiment with
bright colours.

22. How has your practice changed overtime?

My approach started from being naturalistic
to more abstract and now I really enjoy
mixed media.

23. What Art do you most Identify with?

I identify with any art that I enjoy.

25. What's your strongest memory of your

childhood?
The colourful field of wild flowers next to
our farm house.
26. What themes do you pursue?
My theme is always the joy of life.

27. What is your favourite work of Art?

My favorite work of art are Degas´ dancers.

28. Describe a Real Life Situation that

inspired you...
Being in the rainforest in Costa Rica and
seeing colourful flowers, dragonflies, sloths
and butterflies.
29. What jobs have you done other than
being an artist?
I´m still working as an actress, theatre
director and acting teacher.

30. Why Art?

Because art is a wonderful way to express
emotions, fun and joy.

31. What is an artistic outlook on life?

An artistic outlook on life is to live in the
moment.

32. What memorable responses to your work

have you had?
The first response of: "I love that!" is still
resonating in me.

33. Is the artistic life lonely and what do

you do to counteract it?
No it´s not at all lonely. I have a strong
communtity of artists around me and thanks
to modern technology it´s very easy to share
and stay connected.

34. What do you dislike about the art

world?
I don´t like "snobby" artists. But it´s easy
not to let them in my world.
36. What do you like about your painting?
I like painting, going to the art supply store,
posting my work. Altogether I can say: I
love it all!
37. What is your dream project?
Being asked to do a really huge painting on
canvas for somebody who loves what I do.

38. Name three artists you'd like to be

compared to.
I don´t really wanna be compared.
Comparisons always fall flat.

39. Favourite or most inspirational place....

My balcony is my favorite place as I can
see into the garden and look into some tall
trees.

40. What's the bests piece of advice you've

ever been given?
Don´t think. Thinking is highly overated. Just
do it!
 41. Professionally what is your goal?
My dream is that my art is shown in a
museum.

Presented by Windy Kai Hummingbird Studios

www.windykai.wordpress.com