On one wall of her studio in Tailfingen there are exhibits of her varied work: large, brightly colored glass objects, vases and bowls, exquisite decorative objects, all suitable for everyday use. Next to it, works of art of the same format, so-called “fragments”, hang on a wall, all designed differently using clay, plaster, modeling clay and paints. They are Beata Bednarek's "youngest babies". The beginning of her artistic work is on display in her living room: a large-format crib – modeled on the cribs from Provence – which have little in common with German Christmas cribs. In addition to the landscape of Provence, the typical life in the villages of earlier times is shown in great detail: there are houses around a village square, narrow streets, a church. People frolic in the alleys: the soap dealer can be found next to the scissor grinder, children playing and animals frolic in the open air. A little further away is the mill, in front of it a farmer is loading his donkey with a sack of flour. Olive groves surround the village, as do lavender fields. The small figures - santons (Provençal for "little saints") - are elaborately designed. The holy family and the three kings only appear in the village at Christmas
incorporated. With attention to detail and using a wide variety of materials - pieces of cork oak bark, sawdust, dried lavender branches, leftover tiles, stones - a landscape was created which, supplemented by a staffage, with its smells, colors and its very special light in the Provence
kidnapped. "Provence is my heart's homeland," Beata Bednarek clarifies. The 55-year-old artist was born in Poland and has lived in Tailfingen for 15 years. She is self-taught and deals extensively and intensively with art. It is the imagination that inspires her and that she wants to stimulate in the viewers. Her "fragments" are intended to "raise questions," as she emphasizes. "For me, art is not finished," she postulates, adding: "It takes the viewer's imagination to complete the work of art." And it goes without saying that this "perfection" varies from viewer to viewer Fragments are blocks of wood - 15 by 20 by 4 centimeters - which are then processed. The first step, grinding the blocks, is not very artistic. The front and the edges are designed differently. There are small friezes dividing the fragment, geometric patterns, diamonds, squares, figures specially modeled, sometimes in combination with floral motifs. One of the fragments adorns the "praying hands after Albrecht Dürer", another a playing card, another a clef. Some of the edges of the blocks are decorated with velvet, optionally also painted and varnished. Despite all the diversity in their design, the fragments have one thing in common: "I try very hard to make the objects perfectly imperfect," explains Beata Bednarek, pointing to intentional scratches and scrapes that she has incorporated with great attention to detail. If the artist has her way, buyers should select their paintings from the wide range on offer, because in an ensemble
they really come into their own. The fragments can be hung but also set up. The glass objects were designed using the decoupage technique, whereby the glass is processed from behind. The motifs used come from old art books that the artist found at flea markets. Motifs from flora and fauna are also used. The individual parts first have to be meticulously cut out with a scalpel before the individual "puzzle pieces" are then put together and glued to the glass from behind. Beata Bednarek always treats herself to a special "delicacy" in which she intertwines individual motifs. Since the inside and outside of the glass objects are different, a "neutral" layer of paper acts as a separating layer. After completion of all layers, the object is painted up to 30 times from the outside. The "glass" inside of the object can be used like any glass, the outside may only be wiped with a damp cloth. The artist was admitted to the art working group in Gäufelden a year ago, after she had already taken part in the exhibitions there twice as a guest. In this circle "she feels valued, accepted and very comfortable".