Vita
My name is Janine Simon Lerch. I was born in Berlin-Treptow in 1962 and now live in Glowe on the beautiful island of Rügen.
When I was a child, I loved drawing, primarily fashion designs and portraits. As a young girl, I wanted to study and become a fashion designer. However, studying was a certain privilege in the GDR, because social background, social commitment, religious affiliation, commitment to socialism, etc. were often more important than a person’s suitability.
Deprived of my youthful dreams and illusions, I completed an apprenticeship as a leather seamstress in the hope that I could still achieve my goal with this professional path. But life obviously had other plans for me.
So I only started drawing again when my husband and I realized our childhood dreams in 2017 and relocated to the Baltic Sea. In autumn 2019 I started my own business as a painter on the beautiful island of Rügen.
Painting
I am thrilled by the colors of nature. When painting, I always draw inspiration from my impressions of nature and try to express them instead of just copying nature with a brush.
“Realism is the easiest art and always marks decay. If art just copies life, we don’t need it.” (Anselm Feuerbach, 1829-1880).
I love the clarity and power of the basic colors. My style is an expression of my perspective and feelings. My pictures are colorful, playful and maybe slightly “crazy”.
My claim
With my pictures I want to take other people with me on my adventure trips. For me, art life is part of life like water and bread, or as a French woman it is more like wine and cheese. Art shouldn’t just take place in museums and galleries. I want people to surround themselves with as many beautiful things in their everyday lives as possible.
“I want to make myself and others happy with my art.” (Pablo Picasso)