Artist Thomas Paster: “If I were to simply paint nature, I could also hang a photo up”

“The nature of art lies in the encounter between inside and outside,” is Thomas Paster’s basic principle. In his studio in Neufelden he is inspired by nature. The view of the Mühltal helps. Nevertheless, the Peilstein native cannot be pigeonholed into an artistic drawer. If one were to describe him as a landscape painter, one would not do justice to his entire oeuvre. Cartoons and illustrations for products also come from his pen. As a painter, Thomas Paster doesn’t simply depict nature: “Using art, motifs that you know are made more pointed, more exuberant. Elements such as water, light, wind, weather, colors are put into relationship, and so one is created on the canvas new pictorial nature.”

Walk with your eyes

With his landscape paintings he invites you to “take a wander with your eyes and immerse yourself in a natural experience.” Large-format works, for example, adorn the suites in the Hotel Bergergut. The artist not only creates landscape paintings, but also portraits and non-objective color compositions. “It’s always about the image effect, not about abstract or representational, modern or classic.” In addition to his own creations, he also likes to take on commissioned work: “So I’m my own sponsor,” he says. It is important that he has enough time to let his creativity run wild. He wants to concentrate entirely on one work. Pictures lean upside down against the walls in the studio so that he cannot be distracted.

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“How can you still paint landscapes these days?” He has been hearing this question for more than 30 years. Paster developed a very contemporary concept. He doesn’t just depict nature, he creates it anew on the canvas. Simply “copying” the landscapes is not enough. He wants to bring the impression and lighting mood back to life. “Otherwise I could hang a photo on the wall,” says the painter, illustrator and caricaturist. The Mühlviertler wants the viewer to engage with a picture: “Art can ask questions, but also give answers.”

Motifs emerge

Motifs and themes sometimes emerge as if by themselves, often in surprising contexts in everyday life, or are deliberately developed, occasionally even predetermined. The images can then be seen not only in the client’s premises or in regional exhibitions, but also sometimes on products at the breakfast table or on advertising motifs from large food manufacturers.

Exhibition in Krems

The exhibition “Fingerspitze Feeling”, which shows cartoons about built things, is currently running. Paster’s works are shown together with works by Deix, Haberzettl, Haderer, Haitzinger, Peichl, Rubinowitz and Zöhrer. The show can be seen at the Krems Art Mile until June 28th.