Gönül Sen-Menzel: The “Picture Clinic” at the Summer Academy

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Paderborn. Canvas and brush, plaster, chisel and camera define the scene in the Neuhaus palace park. But at this year’s “Summer Academy”, straw hats and water bottles are also a must.

Gisa Schleef will probably have been especially pleased about the tropical heat of recent days. The 19-year-old, who wants to start a tailoring apprenticeship in Berlin, is modeling for the sculptors and painters at the palace – in the nude. “My friend did it last year and gave me the tip,” says the amateur model, who grew up in Paderborn.

Gisa enjoys the holiday job at the “Summer Academy”, and it pays her 15 euros an hour. But standing or sitting for the academy participants’ nude studies is not as easy as it looks. “The first ten minutes are fine – then you cramp up very quickly.” A session lasts up to 30 minutes before Gisa can loosen her muscles during the break.

The sculpture course is led by Peter Kern (63). The professional from Altlandsberg near Berlin teaches modeling and subsequent molding in silicone. At the end of the seminar, his twelve “students” may make molds of their plaster sculptures so that they can later produce casts in stoneware or concrete on their own. Although his participants bring very different levels of experience, working together goes well. “The most important thing anyway,” says Kern, “is trying things out, learning to see and understanding space.”

A critical look at what has been achieved is also the order of the day in Gönül Sen-Menzel’s painting course. “Every evening we sit together for an hour and critique each other’s work,” explains the Cologne lecturer, who calls her course a “picture clinic”.

“If a picture is sick, we make the diagnosis together and talk about how the picture can get well again,” is the “therapy” of the 59-year-old, who uses the lunch break to work on 17 of her own pictures at the same time. “I paint to relax,” says the Turkish artist, who is married to a German, as she dabs spots of color onto a canvas in passing. “For me, it’s like watering flowers.”

Her “students” appreciate her guidance. When Gönül Sen-Menzel gave her first course at the Paderborn “Summer Academy” years ago, the participants afterwards collected signatures so that she would be hired again the following year. “Painting with her is real fun,” confirms Renate Temme from Marienloh. “She criticizes openly and motivates you to try something different.”

Overall, the number of participants in the two-week “art academy” has declined slightly, which has led to one of the six originally planned courses being canceled. Still, 64 amateur artists, who pay 260 euros for the municipal training program, are taking part again this year – about half of them not for the first time. In 2009 there will be a small anniversary to celebrate – the easels will then be set up for the 20th time.

Original captions: Sculptor Peter Kern (right) from near Berlin gives help in the sculpture course of the “Summer Academy”. Renate Stüken from Paderborn appreciates the advice. By the end of the course, the plaster figure is to be prepared for stone casting. – Renate Temme (left) from Marienloh has been painting for a long time. Through course leader Gönül Sen-Menzel she has now received new ideas for choosing motifs and colors.