My new role as artist apprentice

Erwin at work

I have started a wood carving apprenticeship with Erwin Schatzmann, a well known artist in Winterthur. I first visited his Morgenland studio in Hegi, on the edge of the city, as part of the Open Doors weekend back in September. I was spellbound by this place, which is where Erwin eats, sleeps and makes his art. He derives his income from his art, and is content to live modestly but his studio is a hive of colour, filled with his strange, flamboyant art. I loved it so much and it inspired me to write to him.

I have always harboured a dream to learn how to carve wood, so in my pretty basic German, I wrote to him, asking if he would make me his apprentice, thinking it was a long shot but there was no harm in giving it a go. And, lo and behold, a few days later he rang me and invited me along for a chat.

I am now working in his studio two mornings per week. I have already completed my very first ‘wood spirit’ and am very proud of it. There is something intrinsically satisfying in creating something, chipping away at it day after day until something emerges. I cannot quite believe I have somehow fashioned a face from a tree trunk (I now spend hours at a time walking through my local woods with my girls seeking out new bits of wood left behind by the loggers) It’s a new, exciting part of my life and I feel honoured to be experiencing something so unlike the rest of my normal routine.

I can't wait to see what I will create next. Watch this space…J

A trip to Morgenland

We fell in love with the Never Ending Story bench in the Kircheplatz from the first day we set eyes on it, not long after moving from England to Winterthur back in 2013.

And when I found out that its creator Erwinn Schatzmann lived and worked in the city and was taking part in last weekend’s Open Doors art event, I seized my chance to go along and check out his ‘Morgenland’ with my girls.

It’s around a 10 minute walk from Hegi Bahnhof bus stop (bus no.14 from Winti HB) and with no signs to lead the way you constantly wonder if you are going in the right direction. But there is no mistaking the place when you suddenly come upon it, with its outlandish characters and a multitude of flags flapping in the breeze. You walk in through a little doorway into what can only be described as a little treasure trove of fantasy.

Erwin’s Morgenland is a living, breathing testament to this incredible character, a completely self-taught artist who has crafted his studio, where he also eats and sleeps, up around him on the edge of an industrial estate. He has built this organic wooden structure – from recycled building materials, to contain his workshops, eating/dining areas, shrines to Jesus, the Virgin Mary and various people, hidden away in a maze of little paths and stairways, creating a myriad of nooks and crannies – there’s even a handcrafted mouse hole.

Along with my daughters, we ran up and down the little passageways with glee and there was Erwin in the middle of it all, smiling, welcoming and whenever he sat down, he would take up his sewing (he makes his own clothes) He has various philosophies on life and art that he likes to share with the public. Some of his art/ philosophical/religious essays have been exhibited in the Kunsthalle Winterthur and he has just published a little book on his thoughts – and I opened a page to read ‘…art is medicine.’ Wise words indeed.

Erwin mainly secures his income from the sale of his monumental, colorfully painted wooden figures, which he has done here in Winterthur for more than 30 years. He also achieved greater recognition between 1996 and 1999 with his project to establish "A Lake for Winterthur", which was rejected but this did not stop him from launching a new edition in 2011 entitled "7 lakes for Winterthur".

Morgenland  can be booked for guided tours and events and Erwin also offers day long wood-carving workshops for 80fr.

https://www.erwinschatzmann.ch/