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We’re very excited to welcome Dirk Petzold as today's guest curator. The Dresden-based designer, illustrator and founder of the renowned online magazine WE AND THE COLOR is at home in the realm of discovery and bringing new talent to light. Here Dirk shares his story and, importantly, his Rise Art wish list.

By Rise Art | 12 Sept 2016

We’re very excited to welcome Dirk Petzold as guest curator to Rise Art. The Dresden-based designer, illustrator and founder of the well respected online magazine WE AND THE COLOR is very much at home in the realm of discovery and bringing new talent to light. Dirk’s stunning and streamlined magazine features good design at its best in the form of art, architecture, fashion, interiors and more. Today Dirk shares how his blog developed into an online mecca for creativity, where he finds inspiration, and what part of the world he wants to travel to again. Read on for Dirk’s top 5 picks from Rise Art, including a couple of artists he's already dicovered and featured on WATC.

 

Image source: WE AND THE COLOR

 

Tell us about you and what you do.

My name is Dirk Petzold. I am a German graphic designer, illustrator, and founder of the art & design blog, WE AND THE COLOR.

Back in 2004, I started my own little design studio with a focus on branding, advertising, illustration, and web design. After many years working for a variety of clients from diverse business areas, I founded WE AND THE COLOR in May 2010. It started as a small side project, an ordinary Tumblr blog, but with a rapidly growing number of followers. In 2012, I decided to relaunch the site as an independent online magazine. Since then the page has grown steadily. Today I’m proud that WE AND THE COLOR has become a very popular site for the international creative crowd. We feature outstanding projects from the diverse fields of art, design, illustration, architecture, fashion, photography, animation and filmmaking. 

 

Image source: WE AND THE COLOR

 

What inspires you in your work and life?

Inspiration can come from so many different things. Nature, architecture, music, a film or the creative work of other artists and designers can be a huge inspiration to me. With WE AND THE COLOR it’s my pleasure to show you some of these beautiful things in order to inspire you!

 

Image source: WE AND THE COLOR

Do you have a favourite artist and / or museum?

It’s difficult to tell you only one name. The list of artists I like includes such a variety of names like Gerhard RichterNeo RauchSigmar PolkeGeoff McFetridgeLyonel FeiningerMichael ReederBrendan MonroePennacchio Argentato or friends of mine such as Alexander DenkertAndrey Klassen, etc.

I’m from Dresden, a German city with numerous world-renowned museums. My favorites in Dresden are Albertinum and Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery) as well as Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery). But I also like Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Picasso Museum in Barcelona, and of course New York’s MoMA and Guggenheim.

 

Is art & design important to you and why?

Of course, it is a very important part of my life. I mean, I built my complete business around it. So I have to deal with it every single day of my life and I love to. 

 

@WeAndTheColour

 

What would you say your style and tastes are like?

The quote “Make it as simple as possible” describes my preferences very well. I like graphics that are reduced to the essentials – this interplay between monochrome space and negative space, or simple line graphics.

 

Where’s your favourite place to travel to?

I love the whole area of Scandinavia but I have to admit, I’ve been there just once. I definitely want to go back and discover more of Scandinavia.

 

Dirk Petzold's Top 5 Rise Art Picks

Heaven Burning by Pedro Correa

 A couple of months ago, Pedro sent me an email with the request for a possible feature on WE AND THE COLOR. I really like his work! It reminds me of Saul Leiter's photographic work. So it was my pleasure to present his photographs to our readers. 

Purl by Arthur May

 I have selected one of his pieces because I think his work really stands out in the Original Paintings section on Rise Art. I like his sense of minimalism and the reduced use of colors and structures. 

Edge by Tommy Clarke

 I featured Tommy Clarke on WE AND THE COLOR just a few months ago. One of his stunning aerial shots shouldn't be missing from my top 5 selection. I mean, just look at his pictures, they are amazing! 

Winter by Luke Elwes

 This is just a lovely illustration that I found when browsing through the Rise Art Prints. It seems somehow modest and not intrusive. Nicely done, I would say! 

Sheung Wan by Riccardo Magherini

 A guy I've featured twice on WE AND THE COLOR. With his work, he creates an artistic twist on travel photography.

 

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