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The blog exists only in English.
Welcome. I'm Thomas Schmall, currently living in Amsterdam. On this page you can see what I do in art (digital and traditional) and video games. Below is my blog, where I post sketches, news and random stuff. You can also visit the picture gallery, with all the work archived.
If you want to buy originals check out the info page. You can also commission me to paint your portrait. And I like to paint people on events - if you're interested, or have other ideas, you can email
me.
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September 5, 2010
I'm back from a trip to Germany - visiting Dresden, Berlin and then Dresden again. I want to use this posting and the next to share some little discoveries and my upcoming plans.
 Dresden from the museum's window. Credits to my mother for pointing out this beautiful view. It was only ten days, and somehow I always quench as much in as little time as possible. I'm surprised sometimes how much I manage - I read read more books than usually in half a year. I visit lots of museums, discover a lot of new places and interesting people - and that makes me draw more.
The inspiration is great, but the rushing is no good. I don't really have time to sit down and paint and I miss out on meeting people because I have to rush off again.
So the lesson learned is clear: Travel more, but take more time for it.
One Museum I visited was the newly opened Albertinum - containing the "National Public Art Collection". They've got a nice line of paintings ans sculptures - going from the late middle ages to modern nowadays art. I truly have the impression art got better and better over time. As good as Rembrandt was, he doesn't technically compare to most of his followers. The height of technical quality came around 1900, with Adolph Menzel, Leibl, Repin, Sargent and many others.
 Gustav Klimt, 1902, "Beech Grove" (or Beech Forest), oil on canvas They were succeeded by a lot more experimental artists. I especially liked the Gustav Klimt painting "Beech grove". Picasso is for me the turning point - after that I just can't understand it anymore. The last paintings, showing contemporary art, were the blurred photos of Gerhard Richter and some paintings like "Gray"... which is a gray canvas. They actually make me feel very uncomfortable. Maybe there are good concepts behind it - to me it's not good paintings.
It is odd though: Are the clear style episodes one sees in museums maybe not true to what artists did? Nowadays there are so many different styles, even closely resembling older art movements. There are technically superb artists, but somehow in the museums you only find a very specific selection - lacking anything but abstract conceptual art. A real shame.
Maybe it was the same throughout history - and those art directions we learn from books and museums are not truly movements. At least not movements of artists but rather of museum directors and book writers? I wonder what diversity we just missed out on.
What made up for my disgruntlement (whow, that word is in the dictionary) was a special discovery in the museums art shop.
David Hockney's "Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters ". He analyzes paintings goal to show that artists throughout history used lenses, mirrors or things like the camera obscura.
So he filled the book with massive amounts of huge beautiful prints of paintings - analyzing the style perspective and techniques. Comparing often how styles of artists developed or how their underpaintings looked. An art history book with lots of pictures? You can't imagine how rare that is.
A real catch - on sale for 19 instead of 50 Euro. If you're in Dresden - go and get it!
So much for part one from Dresden - more coming soon. But now I'm now off to another Red hair day in Breda.
July 31, 2010
Another painting from the Oudekerk in Amsterdam. I finally have time to do these things – and actually without rushing it too much. With this pillar I’m still trying to get a feel for it, before starting more complex parts of the building.
This coming Monday a German TV team will film me there for their travel show. They will also visit me at home – so I’ll be busy all this weekend cleaning up, so it looks respectable. I’m really curious what they will do.
 Oudekerk 2, oil on 30x40 cm linen  There is my lonely easel in the church. The Oudekerk is btw. surrounded by the red light district.
July 9, 2010
Finally I can show all the results of the “Art for Arts Sake” event at Distelweg that I talked about earlier. Nadia organized a collaboration weekend. Nadia, David, Ronald and me were painting together on lots of pieces.
It was an interesting surprise to see how much people enjoyed watching the process, even staying there for hours on both days. It’s surely something we want to do again.
 Some of my paintings on the wall.  The audience was hypnotized   Sitting around and doodling Besides being fun, I think its very good for learning. We gave every piece to the next person as soon as we were stuck. So the flow was nice, since everyone had an idea how to continue. And you could very exactly see how someone else approached the work.
Here’s the selection of pictures I liked most – but there is more picture stuffs at the beetje-lastig-blog.
 Art for Art Sake - Collaboration 3  Collaboration 11 ... bubble-head-girl  Collab 12 ... some interesting 'stories' evolved out of the pictures.  Collab 13 ... an evil fetus - done on audience request
June 30, 2010
The other day if found via the interesting “Seth’s blog” this talk by Eric Mazur about how a teacher found out he sucked at teaching – and how he approached the problem.
I find this very inspiring on so many levels. First of all about how he approaches the issue. To search hard data on such vague topic like teaching is not obvious tough, but worth the effort.
Also the huge difference between information vs. understanding is stunning. We commonly equal them (“knows a lot” equals smart) – but they seem nearly unrelated principles. Something I never really noticed research about – I’ll come back to that on later posts.
But when he was describing the symptoms of bad teachings though, it got me flashbacks to another situation: Company meetings. The similarities are stunning. Especially the sentence that just as from the teacher also came always from our bosses “do you have any questions?”. With the same reaction… silence.
And equally despite that, the information that management wanted to transfer did often not get through. After a while the bosses would demand that the employees take notes. Which did not help at all.
That would frustrate both sides. With the management rolling their eyes about the stupidity of the employees. “If they didn’t get it, why didn’t they ask?”.
I never felt that was fair – but I had no answers either. This video explains a lot: Teaching just as business meetings are about transfer of understanding. And: If it doesn’t click its usually the teachers fault, not the students one. So yeah, your employees are usually not idiots.
The “bad version” of teaching was prepared by hiding information until the class started. The teacher did that intuitively so he actually has something to say. He then just reads through it – while speaking among the students was a nuisance. And then he asks “any questions?”.
Before company meetings any news or updates were kept internal to management, until it was shared in the session. Intuitively so, because when spreading the information beforehand it would be a wasted meeting, right? The employees have to stay silent and wait for the “any questions?” closure.
In both cases the data might have transfered, the understanding did not.
And just as the problem is the same – so is in my opinion the solution: Make the information early and easily accessible. It is not about the data! It’s about the understanding!
Secondly – allow the employees to talk to each other. This is in this case even feared by management. A misconception – but it highlights one difference: Especially in these American schools the pupils are the client – they pay, and they can demand good lectures. In a business the management pays – they demand effective work. And if the employees handle their stuff among themselves, the management feels obsolete.
A total misconception – but a common one. I’m talking about several game companies I’ve worked at – it is a familiar theme. I would be curious if other people have the same or different experiences.
The good thing is that more and more modern companies actually start to understand that this thinking is outdated. The bad news is: many didn’t get it yet. And the underlying undemocratic nature of businesses will make it hard to change the roots of the problem.
It also shows something managers, just as the teachers, often are not aware of: they are to a degree in another world – with another perspective. Peers are much more able to understand each others situation. That could scare you – but you could as well use it to your advantage.
June 22, 2010
First off: The events the last weekends were a lot of fun. I will post an update as soon as I can show the paintings.
And now to the portrait from last Friday. This time Kaisa, another good friend of mine. I’m glad she allowed me to paint her before she leaves to the other side of the world. Maroesja took a photo of me in action – shortly before the picture is done.
 Me swinging the brush!  Kaisa, oil on 40x50cm linen
June 12, 2010
I guess we can blame it on the nice weather, but somehow now every weekend some nice artsy events are going on. In half an hour I’ll leave to Ruigoord – a squatted artists village near Amsterdam … they even got a squatted church. There is the All is One festival today (12th of June) and tomorrow. Not sure what to expect – but 100 artists will be there, so lots to see. I’ll probably do portraits in a tent called “The happy world”.
Until 3 o’clock this morning I was hanging up pictures in a squat in Amsterdam-Noord. There is the “Art for Art’s Sake” event. It started also today, but is continuing next weekend (19th and 20th of June). I will be there at least all next weekend – I think about using oil paint to paint some objects (they have loads of nice rusty machinery there). Or a model if I can find a victim .
Nadia is thinking about using their cinema for collaboration paintings via laptop. I hope that will work out. Entry is free – so come by if you can! 
 "Art for Art's Sake" - Distelweg 113: Forgot to take proper pictures - here's the room, and where I was beginning building up. And last week was another sketchmeet – a group of young concept artists running around in Haarlem and drawing. Was a lot of fun. Here are some results of the collaborations we did. Only the sketches I’ve kept – there was loads more of course.
 This is a collaboration where one person starts a little drawing, and then the image goes to the next guy. And everyone makes a variation or evolution of it.  This is a drawing I did: supposed to be a huge creature attacked by a tiny cute one. I want to make this into a painting when I find the time.  Since my "aggressive cute creature" failed. I asked around for people to make their versions.  Interesting ideas, I'll combine them for a final one I think.  And as bonus - a little drawing I saw on the Comic-Event that was that day in Haarlem. Some child was drawing the most awesome crocodile ever. Too bad I forgot to take a photo.
June 1, 2010
Another portrait – it got a bit more of the real feel that I am looking for, while still not seeming like a photo. Although the three hour sessions don’t leave me with enough time to measure exactly (leaving some inaccuracies there), they teach me how to work effectively. And it does add a loose touch, that I would not reach when having unlimited time.
I like that – but I still also want to do longer sessions. That would help me with studying more careful and really to think about each step. So I will start to seriously look for an atelier, so that I can plan this all myself.
 "Fabio", oil on 40cm x 30cm linen
May 29, 2010
After the first posting about “words that don’t exist” I was talking with friends about it and inspiring questions came up (i.e. in the comments). I want to use this second part to go into these, for example what I mean with “reality”.
Which also make more clear what I am not trying: I do not want to prove that words are always incorrect to describe reality. Although the word “wolf” from the last example is more abstract than we at first are aware of, it is nonetheless a valuable abstraction. Ghosts on the other hand are not an abstraction, but an invention.
 Somehow this is the image that comes to my mind when thinking about these things. Like looking through a window...
What is reality then? The actual physical world of the universe. In this reality there is no meaning. Things just react physically on the object next to them, that is it.
As soon as genes and evolution appeared something changed. Genes and thus life forms seek to survive. Already the earliest forms reacted to the environment in some way – no brain is needed for that. Bacteria might fall into stasis when food supply is low. In other words, they analyzed reality and categorized it according to “survival” or “non survival”.
The first life with a single light receptor might notice a shadow, and react accordingly. Even though this is more complex than what the bacteria did, it is still a gross simplification of reality – a shadow might mean anything.
Things have come a long way – the drive to sense and analyze the reality has created incredibly complex organisms. But the basics are the same: We gather input, then simplify this into a meaning. We could argue whether by now the goals are more complex than a mere struggle for survival. Still: any life has goals.
I think this is the easiest way to explain what reality is, and why analyzing it helps you achieve your goals better. And just as the simple life form might have mistaken a shadow for food although it was an enemy swimming by, so we are still prone to illusions and misunderstandings of reality.
And that’s why I want to write these articles. I want to find concepts we chase, but that don’t exist. And whatever your goal is, this approach will help.
Does this sound obvious to you? Most people believe otherwise: most spiritual and religious teachings tell people that reality doesn’t matter, that there is another world or that our mind influences the world or is the world.
I think it is natural to not see the distinction. Simple animals just react – done. No need to know what is real or not. And I suspect that even for humans this distinction is very new and quite unnatural. In ancient history whatever someone saw or was told of was reality – they did not know how simplified it was. And it is still surprisingly hard to really convince one (I include myself) that what we think about the world is often completely different of how the world is.
The Greeks are the first we know of to notice that. Just take the example of vision – even Plato still thought that rays leave our eyes so that we see objects. Aristotle then believed that the sun is there to allow the air to take the color of objects, which then touches our eyes.
It took us one thousand years to learn that it is light that allows vision. And nearly two thousand years to learn how much of the spectrum we can’t even see with our eyes. The image we have in our head is a fraction of what is really going on.
 ...or maybe it's the other way around. Although some people glorify the simple times when we were ignorant to reality: They do not really want to live in stone age times.
To understand better reality will help you with your goals. The fact that you could reach your current age and that you can read this text, is thanks to people researching reality – now called scientists.
Since “words” are also in the topic, I will explain what I think they are. Going back to the basic life forms: they would already try to communicate. With simple chemicals one bacteria might signal the other that the food supply is low. It is thus just transmitting the simplified meaning of its analysis.
A barking dog tells the other that danger is near. And words are just the extension – it is always about transmitting an analysis. They carry on the problems it: It is simplified, and it might be wrong, saying something exists that doesn’t. Additionally they might be unclear (I’m often confused what barking dogs try to say )
So in conclusion: “Reality” and “Words” are both concepts that do exist. And with this series I want to uncover topics were observing reality is lacking, or where unclear words are used.
Spirituality and the motivational industry being the worst. It is so easy to make random sayings sound true, because no one is researching the words – their meaning is completely fuzzy.
Philosophy has a similar problem. And emotional issues are somehow completely exempt from a careful look at the words we use. I don’t think that’s necessary. If today someone is seriously searching ghosts, we know he wastes his time (going back to the idea of a goal: it is impossible to reach) – yet we still put huge efforts looking for concepts and emotions that might just be an illusion.
And I do not pretend there are no limits – I can only use my brain (which is a simplification tool) and words (which multiply the problem).
May 22, 2010
This is the last image of the Portrait Month. Can’t wait for next year 
 Flip - oil on linen 50x40 cm I thought maybe it is interesting to show my palette for this one – so here is a photo of the state after half an hour. As you can see, I mix all major colors before I start painting. I don’t know anyone else doing it like that, but I think it makes sense. This way one can see all the value relationships before painting the shapes, saving me the pain of doing corrections on the canvas.
 Palette - premixing all the oil colors in big amounts
May 19, 2010
After posting the Soul Lessons of my exhibition it is time write about the practical experiences of it. This was my first showing, so I still don’t know anything really Nonetheless some things I learned might help other starters. And if anyone has other insights: I am interested to learn about it.
First a little video – thanks to Ramon for doing this.
One lesson I learned: It is a huuuge amount of work. Way more than estimated.
The gallery in my case did not do much promotion, but was very cheap. A great opportunity. As I wanted to keep the costs low, I did most of it myself or with the help of friends.
That worked out well – although I’m not calculating our working hours into the costs.
For frames I went to antique markets and shops – it is much cheaper and looks often better than professional frames. But one understands the prices as framing was one big time thief. If you do it yourself count half an hour per image minimum. Also allow space by making frames bigger than the images if possible. It does help a lot.
As promotion I’ve spread 1200 flyers throughout Amsterdam. Even though they looked professional and I was quite lucky with the motive: As far as I can see, the turnaround was minimal. The effort of designing, printing and spreading did not pay off.
Not sure if I would ignore flyers altogether next time. And the amount of 1200 is kind of the minimum you get at print shops anyways. But I would at least put less effort in spreading them (very time consuming). Rather throw more away and only target very specifically.
Furthermore I ran an Google adwords campaign. It was quicker to do and better for targeting. Now I’m sure I did amateur mistakes – but I seemed to reach artists in Amsterdam quite specifically. Again: No major turnaround as far as I can see. But given the low amount of work I would do this again.
The press work is where I failed quite badly. I think there must be hundreds of magazines/newspapers/brochures/websites here in Amsterdam about art or events. The gallery wrote three newspapers – and I should have been much more and earlier behind that. An opportunity missed. Next time!
Seeing that advertisement and flyers didn’t help much, I have to somehow learn attract the specific clientèle I need for selling. And I need too learn how to give everyone enough attention – it was a shame that many great people came and I did not have the time to talk to them enough. I was easily distracted and had to jump from one place to another. It was nice to see who joined for the opening. And it was also interesting to see who didn’t come – especially from all the galleries I went to. I’ve made a list of “definite” guests and “maybes”. And it turned out to be very precise. All of the “definites” turned up. And nearly no “maybes”.
I did show an overview about all my styles. With oils, sketches, watercolor, digital art… of all kinds of subjects. Next time I will specify a topic. This will allow much better targeting. And I think if I have special topics, then groups with specific interests are easier to attract.
 Everything comes to an end.
Other opinions or experiences would be interesting. And of course: The first exhibition is a bit special.
Summing it up, my suspicion is: This is a long term project. Actually I should have known, everyone told me. But sometimes I have to experience things to understand. For example I couldn’t talk to the guests a lot but they talked among each other. The whole thing is like a node in a network – you become part of it, and you connect others. But it will take time to become fruitful.
The “maybes” will become “definites” over time. And more people that like my art will return. Some other galleries already took attention and it might have even convinced a German TV show to film me in August for a travel show.
How to specifically get collectors and buyers is what I still have to figure out. But learning all these practical lessons will make it easier for the next time… I hope. So let’s see where it all will lead.
And as requested by the guests – here is the:
Recipe for the “Pancakes ala Maga”
Ingredients:
 Pancakes! Mjam!
250ml milk
250g flour
50 ml sparkling mineral water
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon of Italian herbs
1 tablespoon ground chili in garlic oil (you can find that in Asian food stores)
some olive/sunflower oil
For the topping:
classic fresh cheese
smoked ham
Some green salad for decoration.
How to do it:
 Other variations included salmon, cheese or chocolate. Mix the flour, eggs and salt in a bowl for the dough. Whisk well and then gradually add the milk and mineral water. Add the Italian herbs and chili garlic oil – which adds the spicing and colors.
2. Put oil in a pan and heat it up. Add a thin layer of the dough, to make the pancake.
3. After it is done from both sides take it out and add a layer of the fresh cheese. Add the smoked ham on top.
Then roll the pancake up, and cut it into nice pieces. You can put it on the green salad to make it look nice.
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