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Short Biography
Picchio (pronounced: pikkio) is my artist name. Here in Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland some people named me with a wink “Picchio” or “Signor Picchio”, since Picchio means in German Specht - my family name. (in English: woodpecker). Since 1987 I live and work in Ticino, one of the nicest and most pleasant places in the world.
I was born in 1936, in Remscheid/Germany. Following a career at the helm of an international corporation which I co-founded and helped to expand on a global scale, I went on to focus on painting. In fact, I was extremely passionate about art and won already a scholarship for studying art when I was 17, but at that time I was unable to pursue it as a career. Today, painting and art are the center of my life, and I spend around 60 hours a week in my new studio and I am extremely successful.
My abstract creations are tailored chiefly to companies and modern premises. I have already sold approx. 30% of the 230 pieces created, the main target group being enterprises operating within the industrial sector. Provided I am given free rein, I am also happy to create customized pieces. In embracing my new lifestyle, I have been able to combine my experience in senior management with my artistic skills...see Corporate Art >>>
Style and technique
When I apply my paints, I do so pragmatically. Nothing must be left to chance. I do not follow "isms" and I do not model myself on anything in particular - the picture which I envisage down to the last detail is all that matters. I never lose sight of the final result. My style is like my temperament, quick. Working with acrylic paints, which dry within an hour, appeals to my mentality. I prefer expressive colors. I constantly put new ideas down on paper. This leaves me with some hundred of sketches which are to be used sooner or later.
Once I have started, I work very quickly. I paint "wet on wet" and apply the paints to the canvas on top of each other and into each other, whilst still wet. This ensures that their brilliance and the marks of the spatula are preserved. By using this technique, the colors do not mix and the paintings exude rich shadings. The order of the colors is very important to me. Because I use a lot of paint, which is applied very thickly, the pallet knife I use leaves a visible structure. The final result is reminiscent of the impasto technique. Many of my paintings and their themes are broken down by geometric shapes. An artistic perspective which divides visual impressions into segments. I refer to this technique as segment-art.
to the single and group exhibitions: (see exhibitions)
Picchio [Dieter Specht]
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