German woman blends different cultural inspirations in her artwork

ANKARA

Rita Bohlen, a German living in Ankara, combined the art of paper marbling she learned in Turkey with the cultural motifs of her country with her works.

Bohlen, whose spouse is an undersecretary at the German Embassy to Ankara, received hands-on training at a paper marbling workshop in the Turkish capital for more than three years.

Noting that she and her spouse decided to go to a country other than Germany and that they arrived in Turkey five years ago as a result of this decision, Bohlen said that she started learning Turkish before she came and that she had the chance to practice it here as well.

“When we came to Turkey, I wanted to find a new hobby. I saw a paper marbling by chance, and it caught my attention. I started the course right away, and I have been doing paper marbling for three years,” she said, adding that she likes the art very much.

“Paper marbling is a very old Turkish art; I love how it is made,” she noted.

Stating that she was fascinated by the philosophy in the art of paper marbling, Bohlen noted that she got good results from her first drawings.

Pointing out that marble painting is not well known in Germany and that it would be difficult to explain her art to Germans, Bohlen emphasized that marbling was not just a beauty but a very deep art.

“I made paper marbling with a pine tree at New Year’s and combined the story of ‘Two Naughty Boys,’ which is a very famous story for children in Germany, with the art,” she noted, adding that she also painted flowers inspired by Van Gogh.

Bohlen had brought her previous works together with art lovers at an exhibition held at Altındağ Municipality Ulucanlar Prison Art Street Exhibition Hall.

She had donated the income of the paintings sold in the exhibition as food and veterinary fees for cats on the street.