Our October Artist of the Month is a friend of mine, Ludolf Grolle.  We are lucky enough to have two of Ludolf's works of art adorning our walls, and each day they bring me joy - his pure colors and abstract art bring a smile to my face. He's quite an extraordinary artist, with such overflowing talent that his canvases seem to explode with color. I can stare at his paintings forever, and still find new things to see - his depth of expression is incredible.

Raised in Europe and educated in the United Kingdom, Ludolf is an international artist who has been painting since the age of 3.  Ludolf's art has been shown in various venues across Europe and the U.S., and his work may be found in private and corporate collections around the world. 

Ludolf moved to Canada in 2002, and has since made Winnipeg his home.  In early 2006 Ludolf signed with Gallery Lacosse - his principal representative in Winnipeg -  and in July of 2007, the Winnipeg Art Gallery acquired several of Ludolf's pieces for their Art Rental and Sales.  Early 2008, Ludolf was signed by the John Bloxham Gallery in London.  Mid 2008 Ludolf is represented by Jean-Francois Sani in Continental Europe.  Since 2007 Jill Pazarekas has been Ludolf's agent in New York.

Ludolf's unique method of blending just three primary colours, using a variety of techniques is unequalled. Ludolf's works on paper are reminiscent of intricate print processes - even though each piece is hand painted.  The development of brushed and rollered colour plains provide a fascinating palette of hues. Depth and texture is provided without the use of gypsum or gesso or other material and yet provides a texture and effect akin to encaustic.

As one of the co-founders, charged with the Visual Direction of the new “pre-Simulationist” art movement, Ludolf is fascinated by the influence of the virtual world afforded by the Internet, and cognitive science on how we see ourselves and the world around us. 

Ludolf does not make giclées or re-prints - every piece is an original.  Ludolf's philosophy is that art should be affordable and accessible; and that everyone should have the opportunity to own something unique.

Respected and admired by his peers, Ludolf's work is extremely collectible - for many environments - and is fast gaining a dedicated following in North America. 

I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with Ludo. Here's what he had to say...

WE: Please tell us about your paintings, and how/when did you start being an artist?

LG: I started drawing at around 1 or 2 but painting with a brush and water colours was when I was around 3 years old. I have painted all my life. There have been some intermittent periods that I have been unable to paint - but never longer than a month or so. I love to paint and given enough material and time I could do this 24/7 forever - just painting and painting and painting some more. As I grew older I realised that I needed to earn some money to help provide a regular income for my family and so worked in the corporate world for a long time -  however there was never a week that I did not sketch or paint something. Colours just fascinate me and just like many of us see patterns or images in cloud formations or pyschological tests - I see something in almost everything.  Different textures and surfaces - from a very early age - just drew me in and I could see tableaus of many varieties. The latter seemed to stay with me and many of the things embedded in my mind now sprout forth onto my canvasses or paper pieces.

WE: What do you draw inspiration from?

LG: I paint not just what I see , but what I think I feel. 
My art is an abstract reflection of what is within me - my heart, my soul; an expression of mood and the contemplative, the art of beauty, laughter, joy and inner-peace; the subliminal and the sublime - the art of how my mind deals with all of the external influences that come to play from the worlds of both the real and the virtual. 

The art of hope and love, the art of living life.

Certainly there are challenges such as pain and fear, despair; nonetheless this negativity is eradicated by the colour, the patterns, the work itself, in the form of my finished pieces. 

I am a painter, a romantic, an expressionist, a pre-Simulationist but most of all I am an artist, a human being with a soul. I live in the hope of what I feel is real.

I live in the hope that my art and my work inspires.                       

WE: Where are your favorite places to paint?

LG: Mostly at home in my studio - however I do love to, occasionally venture further afield and paint outdoors. When I was younger I spent many hours in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London drawing. Outdoors is mainly for sketching or drawing  - it gets so very messy and in my studio everything is at hand.

WE: What do you enjoy painting most?

LG: I like to do portraits and landscapes but my love is abstract - it is not undisciplined, it is a different type of discipline and provides a sense of excellence and comfort all at once.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

LG: Diane - my wife - is an inspiration and staunchly supports every endeavour, for which I am most grateful and words cannot express the drive and additional motivation that this instills in my being. Like most artists we have our ups and downs and moments of low self-esteem therefore a kind word or someone enjoying my work is a God-send. I have, however realised that to support the art and artists that praise is all well and good but the ultimate gesture of appreciation is to buy their work.

Photo by Ernest Mayer, Official Photographer of the Winnipeg Art Gallery

WE: Thanks so much, Ludolf! I loved seeing all of your magnificent art - there are many more that I want, now! Thank you for sharing with us.

 

For more information, and to see even MORE of Ludolf's gorgeous paintings, please check out his website, www.LudolfGrolle.com.

To purchase Ludolf’s work, please contact one of his global representatives, which can be found on his site, www.ludolfgrolle.com

 

 

 

GALLERY LINKS:

www.tlacosse.com

www.johnbloxham.com

www.artistsincanada.com

www.electroniccottage.com

www.artabus.com

http://wag.ca/

ABOUT THE PRE-SIMULATIONISTS

A Prescient Art movement  For the 21st Century

A vanguard group of prescient artists, poets, and writers who are finding new ways to surpass the exhausted postmodern epoch and its constructions of language and thought. 

pre-Simulationists  look to the future and the sim worlds that will soon immerse humankind, examining what sort of consciousness might emerge when full simulation takes place. We do not reject science nor scoff at the usefulness or importance of its knowledge because of nihilistic arguments derived from Goedel's Theorem. 

In this age of neural and genetic discovery we explore new subjective approaches to creativity and the place of art in the world, searching beyond language for the workings of our feelings and experience of sentience. 

pre-Sims draw inspiration for our creative works and other artists'  creations not only in the semiotics of cultural simulations, but also charting maps of awareness of the inner mind, awake or dreaming.
 

 

TIMELINE

LUDOLF R. GROLLE

Born  29th, June 1953

Moved to Holland 1955

Started painting in 1956

Moved to the U.K. 1961

Attended Emanuel School, London 1964 - 1972

Studied art in London 1972 - 1978

Holland 1979 - 1988

United Kingdom 1988 - 1995

USA 1996 - 2001

Mainland Europe 2001

Canada 2002 - 2003

Luxembourg 2004

Canada 2004 - to date

Turned professional 2005

Opened home studio & www.ludolfgrolle.com 2006

Permanent Resident of Canada 2006

First show in Canada 2006

Signed by Gallery Lacosse 2006

Co-founder pre-Simulationist Group 2006

Private exhibition Manhattan N.Y. 2007

NY Representation - Jill Pazarekas

Represented by Lacosse 2006,2007,2008

Joined Medea Artists Collaborative 2007

Winnipeg Art Gallery [Art Rental & Sales] 2007

Featured in Style Magazine, 2007

Featured on Style West & City TV Fall 2007

Collaboration with Michael Collingwood

Winnipeg Free Press 2008

Published "5 by 5" & "KUNST-WERK" 2008

Signed by John Bloxham - London Spring 2008

Represented by Jean-Francois Sani - Summer 2008

EXHIBITIONS:

2006 - Painted Love at The Lion and The Rose

2006 - Transformation at Gallery Lacosse

2007 - Subliminal Perception at The Medea

2007 - Prelude to a Symphony at the Piano Nobile Gallery of  the Centennal Concert Hall

2007 - Confrontations at The Adelaide McDermott Gallery and Cre8ery, collaborative group show

2008 - Apocalypse at The Medea

2008 - Summer

INTRIGUE

St. Boniface in Winnipeg

The Parade of Homes - Artist Showcase - Warkentin

2008 - Fall

five by five : Smaller Pieces

Gallery Lacosse in Winnipeg

Book signing Manitoba, Canada

2008/2009 Winter

Virtual Multi-Media On-Line Event

www.ludolfgrolle.com

Wider North American representation

2009 Spring

Apocalypse Riders Return

John Bloxham Gallery - London, England

2009 Summer 

Shows planned in Continental Europe & USA 

 

 

 

 

All photos courtesy and copyright of Ludolf Grolle.

Feature photo by Isabel Wolinsky - taken for Style Magazine (Featured Artist Fall 2007)