In the beginning the topics were fairly widespread, and so were the approaches.
For a while figures, faces, and then abstract landscapes would be the main subject matter.
But eventually I concentrated fully on the human countenance. But even after giving up landscapes as the main topic, heads and faces would serve as screens on to which “landscape” was projected, but rather in the sense of “soulscape”. In most cases these paintings are not portraits of any person, nor even self-portraits, rather they are psychic "shorthands" and deal with more general concerns.
The overall style is expressionistic, without direct reference to any special “school”. From the old masters maybe Grünewald, Caravaggio, de La Tour, Rembrandt, Goya – in modern art Van Gogh, Munch, the Fauves, the Abstract Expressionists – and artists like Käthe Kollwitz, Egon Schiele, Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Francis Bacon, Vladimir Velickovic, Markus Lüpertz have provided important inspiration, on the other hand also Zen art with its immediate lucid perception, and especially Art Brut with its relative lack of technical sophistication but all the stronger emotional appeal.
Emotion and passion certainly are key terms. The aim was always to charge the painting. Concepts from other fields like poetry or music have had their strong impact on me as well. François Villon’s poems, Arthur Rimbaud who “seated beauty on my knees and found her bitter”, Garcia Lorca’s writings on Flamenco with the term “Duende”, in Blues and Jazz the meaning of the term “Cry”, in Punk music the delivery of raw energy, all these have greatly influenced me.
First of all you need to have something relevant to say. Technical virtuosity and pleasant appearance alone don’t do it for me. Mannerism gets boring very quickly. Constant experimentation, audacity, the willingness to improvise, to take risks, to be ready for surprises, are of necessity to me. And although gentleness and even vulnerability are quite welcome qualities, I would not make a good crooner. Human nature, the human condition isn’t merely some cute kindergarten playground or quaint romantic sunset. It isn’t all just entertainment and fun and happiness. There are these our angels and demons, no denying it, and they need to be wrestled with, so beauty will not emerge only soft and sweet and virgin.
Why was there not more public response? Well, there had been so many disruptions and breaks, lack of time, lack of money. And aren’t the Swiss in general rather rational, cool, calculating, and deeply suspicious of any emotions – even of their own – and especially of those who dare displaying feelings with little restraint and in a head-on and flamboyant way? Few of the neo-expressionist movements or artists of the eighties/nineties like e.g. the “Neuen Wilden” were such a great success in this country. Maybe I just hadn’t been scandalous enough, the critics treated me as not much more than some oddity. But there is no point in blaming someone else anyway or coming on with feeble excuses.
 I have always made sure not to pander to commercial considerations and to the general tastes, and although I am not deliberately out for provocation I have scorned all well meaning advice how to sell out better, such as “Why don’t you paint more like this or more like that?” I just would not play nice. I remained true to my temperament and little did I care whether my works fit in so well in living rooms or corporate offices. I guess I am a maverick, and if some of my paintings and drawings should even scare or irritate people a little bit: oh well, why not?
Let's end this excursion with a Charles Mingus song title: “Better Git Hit in Your Soul!”