Sarah Haffner, Berlin...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Abendlicht", Sarah Haffner, 2008

From the invitation to her gallery show.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sarah Haffner, younger sister of Peter Schmidt, has opened an exhibtion of her work on March 12. If you happen to be in Berlin, please take the time to visit, her work is really quite amazing. Sarah has also assembled a book, an extensive survey, "Blaulicht", published by Alexander Verlag, Berlin, 2010.

.

.

.

"Mandala Castle - Mountain", revisited...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Mandala Castle - Sea", Peter Schmidt, watercolor painting, 1979
(Collection Alain D'Hooghe)

.

This new photo reveals beautiful colors...

.

.

"The Thoughts..." for March 26, 2010...

.
.
.

.

.

.

"The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts", Peter Schmidt, web version, 2010

Original version created in 1970, in an edition of 100.

.

.

.

Anchor "Tower"...

.
.
. . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Tower"(detail), Peter Schmidt, watercolor painting, 1975
.................................Anchor "Tower", John Emr, Anchor building stones, 2010
.
I built this upper most section of the "Tower", with almost every block I have using sets 6, 6A, and 8A. My uneducated estimate is that I would need about 7,500 more block to build the entire "Tower". Any Anchor enthusiasts would like to make an estimate? Perhaps someone with enough block will rise to the challenge of building the "Tower"?
.
.
.

Flip Book Sketch...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Flip Book Sketch, Peter Schmidt, line drawing, 1975

(From one of Peter's sketchbooks)

.

.

.

"The Thoughts..." for March 19, 2010...

.
.
.

.

.

"The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts", Peter Schmidt, web version, 2010

(Originally assembled in 1970 by Peter and his students at Watford School of Art)

.

.

.

"Mandala Castle - Sea", revisited...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Mandala Castle - Sea", Peter Schmidt, watercolor painting, 1979

(Collection Alain D'Hooghe)

.

A new photograph of one of Peter's last and most important works. With the glass removed, this photo reveals truer color clarity, the edges, and Peter's signature can be seen. Thanks to Alain and Marina.

.

.

.

Three lost works...

.
.
.

.

.

Three Paintings, unknown titles, Peter Schmidt, watercolor paintings, 1977-8

(Unknown Provenance)

.

This photo is from one of Peter's exhibitions in Iceland. I have extracted several decent images from photos like this one, but couldn't do justice to any of these. I don't know if they were sold at the gallery, or came back with Peter to London. I'd like to someday get good images of them to add to our collection. The photo was taken at the time of the exhibit, and sent to PSW in 2008 by Eggert Pétursson.

.

Please contact me if you know anything about these lost works: info@PeterSchmidtWeb.com or PeterSchmidtWeb@aol.com

.

.

.

"The Thoughts..." for Friday, March 12, 2010...

.
.
.

.

.

"The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts", Peter Schmidt, web version, 2010

.

.

.

"Mandala Castle - City", revisited...

.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Mandala Castle - City", Peter Schmidt, watercolor painting, 1979
(Collection of Alain D'Hooghe)
.
Alain took the castles out of their frames, and has taken new pictures. The paintings look even better. Many thanks to him and Marina for taking the time and effort to provide us with optimal photos, and their support throughout this endeavor to preserve Peter's legacy.
..
.
.

"Woman's Head"...

.
.
.

.

.

"Woman's Head", Peter Schmidt, oil on canvas, 1957

(Slade - UCL Art Collection)

.

"In 1957, Schmidt shared First Prize in the Slade annual Head Painting competion with this painting and they retain it in their archive. It was described to me as being painted in the Slade Style", says Rory Walsh, who has tracked down this image.

.

.

.

"The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts"...

.
.
.








.
"The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts"(Edition of 100), Peter Schmidt, wood box, press type letters on card stock laminated with unused art work, perspex lid, 1970
(Collection of Jasia Reichardt)
.
.
.









.
"The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts"(01), Peter Schmidt, web version, 2010
.
.
.




.
"Thoughts Behind the Thoughts"(02), Peter Schmidt, web version, 2010
(Template from Tim Gordon's "The Thoughts...", "The Thoughts..." courtesy of Alain D'Hooghe)
.
.
.
Shortly after creating the autobiographical "Monoprints", Peter assembled "The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts", in 1970. Again, he mined through excess materials in his studio, and mined through the thoughts in his mind and thus became the "The Thoughts..." He created 100 of these black wooden boxes, roughly 20" x 12". The four that I am aware of were given to friends. Being they were very close, it wouldn't surprise me if Brian Eno was given one. I feel the concept of "Oblique Strategies" was based in this work. "The Thoughts..." were self published by Peter, whereas the "Oblique Strategies", which were more directed at a musician's issues, were published by Eno's record company, EG Management.
.
Alain has taken the time to write down the sentences, as they appear on each card. I will be posting them on a template created from Tim Gordon's box, copy No. 4, which I photographed a few years back. Many of the cards on which the sentences were printed, have dark backgrounds as you can see in the first actual example above, which makes it difficult to read the thought. I have chosen to present the sentences on a plain white card, and will post them occasionally. Eventually the "The Thoughts..." will all be found at: www.PeterSchmidtWeb.com
.
Who knows, maybe they'll be made into an iPhone app someday?
.
.
.

Eggert Pétursson, artist, colleague, friend...

.
.
.














.
Untitled, Eggert Pétursson(b. 1956), oil painting, 2006-7
.
.
.





















.
Untitled, Eggert Pétursson(b. 1956), oil painting, 2003-4
.
.
.
"Eggert Pétursson's sole subject is the Icelandic flora. Conceptual rather than decorative, his unique paintings of the minute tundra flowers of Iceland’s seemingly barren landscape reveal, with dizzying effect, the universe within. Abstract at a distance, at close inspection his canvases are hyper-realistic - an infinite regression of painstaking brush detail creating each petal, stem, and leaf."
,
Eggert was a good friend of Peter's, and was instrumental in bringing Peter to Iceland for two exhibitions, and for extended stays, during which he found inspiration for many of his later works. As with the Boyle Family, he is an artist who's work I discovered during my journey to discover Peter Schmidt. I have tremendous respect for his prolific nature, his abilites and his dedication to his subject matter, nature itself. Eggert is an Icelandic national treasure. He has been one of our web site's earliest and most diligent supporters. During the occasional breaks from painting, he is working on an Icelandic(Íslenska)translation of Peter's biography. His work is amazing.
Please see for yourselves: www.eggertpetursson.net
.
Eggert is represented by i8 Gallery, Reykjavík: http://www.i8.is/
.
.
.

I-Ching Drawing...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I-Ching Drawing, Peter Schmidt, line drawing, 1979

(Collection of Alain D'Hooghe)

.

"...a drawing Peter made in my copy of the I-Ching (we bought this book together when Peter stayed at my place in 1979 at the time of his first exhibition at Paul Ide’s)..."

.

.

.

"Mountains in the Mist"...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Mountains in the Mist", Peter Schmidt, watercolor painting, 1979

(Collection of Alain D'Hooghe)

.

Painted during Peter's last visit to the Isle of Skye in 1979. This lovely painting has been in Alain's family for many years, he recently had the opportunity to photograph it and share it with www.PeterSchmidtWeb.com

.

.

.

Link to Peter Schmidt: In an indeterminate place...

.
.
.

.
.
.

In an indeterminate place, screen capture, March 1, 2010 blog post

.

Guy Bennett is having a wonderful blog in which he ponders and elucidates his thoughts about art in various mediums. His point of view is unique, and his postulation is precice. A recent post on Peter's work is but one of many. Oskar Schlemmer, Tom Phillips, and the Brothers Quay among others. I suggest visiting this blog to read his thoughts on Peter and look into another way of looking.

.

Thanks to Guy for considering Peter Schmidt: http://inanindeterminateplace.com/

.

.

.

Link to Peter Schmidt: Anker - Steinbaukasten Home Page...

.
.
.
.
.
.
Richter's Anchor® Stone Building Sets, the home page for March, 2010
.
Mr. Hardy has impeccable taste indeed. After recently discovering that as a child, Peter played with Richters Anker - Steinbaukasten, or Richter's Anchor® Stone Building Sets, I made contact with the "Pope" of Anchor Builders, Mr. George Hardy. I shared with him some images of Peter's work, that I felt were directly influenced by his past with the stones. He found them to be authentic depictions of Anchor Buildings, and has chosen to feature some of Peter's "Buildings" at his website for the month of March. Anchor Builders hail from all over the world, and tend to be passionate about this work. They are very supportive each others efforts as well as of George and his mission to spread knowledge of this 120 year old classic. I have recently received my first three sets, Nos. 6, 6A, and 8A. The stones are precisely molded, and the material is tactile. I feel these sets would make a great tool for young people, as hand eye coordination can be developed, as well as architectural imagination. Thus far I have executed six of the historic constructions illustrated in the books that came with my stones. My goal is to build Peter's "Tower", for which I will require considerably more stones.
.
My thanks to Mr. George Hardy for sharing with his friends the work of Peter Schmidt, and in kind opening our eyes to the world of Anchor. A visit to Mr. Hardy's website is highly recommended: www.ankerstein.org
.
.
.

Taking Tiger Mountain Collection...

.
.
.























.
.
.
"Taking Tiger Mountain(By Strategy)", Peter Schmidt, lithographs, 1974
Pictured here are 37 of 1500 unique prints. Four from the Eno LP, and 33 from our collection.
.
http://www.peterschmidtweb.com/TakingTigerMountain.html
>
.
.

Graham Greene meets Peter Schmidt...

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Autobiographical Monoprints", exhibition book pages, Peter Schmidt, 1970
From the Lisson Gallery(Collection of John Emr)
.
Recently added to our catalogue were ten of the "Monoprint" collages. As such, I revisited the exhibition book that accompanied the exhibit. Along with the "Analytical Introduction, Jasia Reichardt did an analysis of two of the Monoprints. As shown above, the item numbers, is a drawing Peter did, one of eight, which was apparently done for a Grahan Greene short story. For a few days now, I've been in contact with rare book sellers, Greene affectionados, his official biographer Norman Sherry, and the original writer of this analysis, Jasia. Nothing firm to report, though I'm hopeful we can locate where indeed these drawings appeared. They would represent the earliest examples of Peter's work.
.
If you are or become aware of where these ink drawings were published, please contact me: info@PeterSchmidtWeb.com or PeterSchmidtWeb@aol.com
.
.
.

Anker Steinbaukasten...

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Tower", Peter Schmidt, watercolor painting, 1976
(Collection of the Schmidt Family)
.
Peter seems to have looked back on a stressful, war torn childhood as inspiration for some of his work. In his autobiographical "Monoprint" series, he used not only his old art works as raw materials, but pages from childhood books, and photos from early in his life. As with the "Mandala Castles", Peter used as a point of reference for "Tower", a childhood toy known in his native Germany as Richters Anker Steinbaukasten, and Richter's Anchor Stone Building Sets to the English speaking world. These sets were first manufactured in 1880 in Germany, and were sold all over Europe and the United States. Production was halted after the godless Soviet Union annexed East Germany, fearing too many people used the blocks to build model churches and cathedrals. A few years after reunification, they were to be produced once again using the original molds. These blocks were enjoyed by Albert Einstein as a child.
.
"Anker Stones consist of quartz sand, linseed oil, colour pigments and chalk - for over 125 years the formula has remained the same. The use of 100% natural ingredients meets the highest ecological standards." - The Formula, from the Anker website.
.
The Anker homepage(multi lingual): www.ankerstein.de
.
"Anchor stones have been used for what I call "easy art". Gluing stones on a board in an interesting 3-D pattern. The old stones make more attractive "easy art". Of course, this type of art is quite different from the art of Peter Schmidt. His "Anchor" buildings are quite true to the Anchor stones themselves and he has worked the buildings into the background very well." - George Hardy
.
Mr. George Hardy, worldwide Anker expert: www.ankerstein.org
.
.
.

Peter Schmidt Web, acclimating...

. Peter Schmidt
. Brian Eno
. Simon Hilton
With the help Maria Keirnan, many of the images you've seen posted here at the Peter Schmidt Web Blog over the past months are being added to the main website. The Simon Hilton Collection is being added to the Early Works gallery, a few more Taking Tiger Mountain prints to that gallery, a new sub section, Sketchbooks, is being added to the top of the Miscellaneous section, the existing Letters section is being moved to the top here as well. We have completely renovated the External Links. We are adding French, Italian, German, Spanish and Icelandic translations of Peter's Biography. We have added several photographs of Peter from his early childhood through his teens and beyond to the Images of Him section. The website updates are a big undertaking, so please be patient.
.
A million thanks and salutations to Maria for the time, effort and care she takes in doing this work.
.
www.PeterSchmidtWeb.com
.
.
.

"Cubism and After: Departures"...

.
.
.

.

.
.

Stills from the BBC film "Cubism and After: Departures", directed by Michael Gill, 1961

Original air date 29, October, 1962 (Images provided by Rory Walsh)

.

This elusive film was found due to the unrelenting diligence and determination of

our good friend Rory. Perhaps next, he can convince the BBC to show this film again...

.

Shown here: the title frames, several stills of Peter, Peter drawing Ruth with their black

cat looking for trouble, and two of Peter playing with his son Simon.

.

.

.

"Ovoid"...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Ovoid", Peter Schmidt, watercolour, 21" x 16", 1970

(Collection of Simon Hilton)

.

.

.

The Mandala Castles...

.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.
.
.
.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Mandala Castles(City, Country, Mountain, Sea)", Peter Schmidt, silk screen with watercolors, 1979 (Collection of Alain D'Hooghe)

.

These four paintings were among the last works made by Peter and were first exhibited at the Paul Ide Gallery in Brussels in 1980. The show called "More Than Nothing", featured collaborations between Peter and Brian Eno. Alain D'Hooghe, a very dear friend of the artist and the curator for this exhibit, has told me Peter's intention was to paint two more Mandala Castles, "Tundra" and "Desert". Peter's original castle line drawing, I believe, was loosely based on a childhood toy* which traveled with him from Germany to England, was then made into a silk screen, and formed the bones of each of these paintings.

.

* Richter's Anchor Stone Building Sets or Richters Anker-Steinbaukästen, more on these in a future post...

.

.

.

Cheers...

.
.
.
Today marks the beginning the third year in existence for Peter Schmidt Web. A million thanks to the family, friends, supporters and contributors. Your support has been inspiring. To Peter's family, I am grateful for having been welcomed into your lives, homes and hearts, without your trust, encouragement and support this endeavor would not be truly legitimate. To the many people who knew Peter, colleagues, students and friends, I am grateful for your shared experiences and knowledge. To the contributors, your generosity has made this collection a definitive one. Hats off to Rory for his determination. Finally to Alain, thank you for providing the spark which lit the fire, your love and respect for Peter touched me very deeply.
.
I have never in my life approached a project with such respect and diligence. From my first attempts at reaching out, I knew that this man was held in high regard by many. He was much more than just an artist to be studied and catalogued. I was always keenly aware that Peter was someone's father, brother, husband, teacher, collaborator, and friend. He was a human being who lived and dreamed. My efforts to create and establish the Peter Schmidt Web archive has taught me many things about myself, and has enriched my life's journey in so many ways. It has transformed my prison into a garden.
.
.
.