Interview by Alex Schuchmann / Paintings by Josie Knabe / 20min

Can you remember those times when you felt absolutely uninspired? No idea what to do or what to create?

I find myself way too often watching other artists doing their thing on YouTube. There are endless so-called Masterclasses and “how to’s” on drawing, photography, filmmaking and other arts and while I believe there is a certain inspiration exuding from these tutorials, we will never be able to understand the experience itself. Only if we tap into the life we would like to live, that's when we can truly learn something new. Sure we can use these books, videos, and How To’s as a guide, but then keep in mind, that following a certain method, might again prevent us from experiencing the real, authentic experience. The one made only for you. Oftentimes it helps to follow the path of your passion. It might not be the easiest one, as we will learn in this interview, but it might feel like you're approaching home at some point in this journey.

Whenever I get my first coffee of the day in the Sol cafe in Ferrel, Josie Knabe’s huge canvas confronts me with my rushing mind. The painting establishes the set of what seems to be a living room and shows two individuals, I read them as female, and the arm of a third individual, who is not entirely in the frame. They are hanging out, nothing else. Just hanging out. One is casually sitting on an armchair while listening to music from a Walkman, the other one looks through the viewfinder of a VHS camera and the arm appears to be playing backgammon holding a glass of wine. The scene reminds me of those good old times when I was younger and time did not necessarily feel like an enemy. For me the canvas and its pigments function as a time machine into moments where nothing else counts, except being somewhere, with your friends, playing backgammon, and drinking a glass of wine. Even though I would call myself a grounded person, there are certain moments when it becomes art, like meditation, that take me back to where I should have been. Maybe this is too early for a resume but Josie Knabes' work has this effect on me which is the reason why I wanted to talk to her.

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I recommend putting on a nice tune, getting a beverage of your choice and following our words as we touch on topics like working in mini-jobs to make ends meet, escaping life in Germany, sleeping next to her canvases in a tiny van in Portugal and how she navigates being back home in Hannover. I catch her on a sunny morning in Italy vacationing with her friends.

Josie: I hope I find the right words; I’m not great at talking about my art! But - basically - with my art, I want to remind myself that it’s the everyday moments that really matter. I like to paint people to show the humanity in life because being with others or even just with yourself is so important. It’s those simple moments—drinking coffee, playing games, just being together—that mean the most to me. That’s why I often paint similar objects over and over, or incorporate them into different pieces, to evoke those memories. I’ve always thought a lot about what I want to convey. It all started when I did a collage project during a brief stint studying landscape architecture, which I found uninspiring. That got me into collages, and I've approached painting similarly; it’s like piecing things together in a constantly evolving way.

Every painting starts from a thought. I’ll see friends sitting in a cool pose and think, “Oh, that's a great idea!” I love how the painting evolves. I usually begin with one or two elements, and instead of sketching everything out, I just dive in. I only sketch when I’m working for clients. When it’s for myself, I let the painting develop naturally.

Alex: I'm just starting with sketching and painting myself, and it’s a journey figuring out where to place everything. Lately, I have gotten into working with wax crayons and find it quite interesting to see where the imagination takes me. 

Josie: It’s been a learning journey for me as well. Since I never formally studied art, I’ve just relied on trial and error over the past three years. Through that, I learned my process. By now, I tend to start with a rough sketch of the background and work my way to the foreground, adding details at the end. I've also learned more about colour theory, like how different colours react when layered. For example, recently, I’ve been grounding my pieces with neon pink as a base because the colours pop differently compared to leaving it a white background, and I prefer a fully-coloured canvas anyway.

Alex: Speaking of doing things without really knowing what we're doing, can you take me back a bit? How did you end up studying landscape architecture, and what gave you the courage to shift away from it to focus on painting?

Josie: I grew up in Hanover with my mom and brother. I had to become independent early on since my mom worked full-time. I got my first job at 16 and juggled multiple minimum-wage jobs in restaurants ever since. After high school, I enrolled in university because that seemed like the thing to do and at the time landscape architecture seemed interesting. But I quickly realized that this study wasn’t really for me — I struggled to motivate myself and didn't connect with the courses, so I dropped out of university. During that time I moved into a shared flat with students from a creative university in Hanover, which is why I then wanted to pursue visual communication studies. I thought it sounded intriguing after I had just started drawing on a graphic tablet for my Macbook. I applied and got accepted. But once again, I wasn’t enjoying my studies. On top of the extra costs, like the Adobe cloud, and the challenges of remote learning, I just wasn’t feeling fulfilled. So, in 2021, while working multiple jobs — including in a Corona test centre. It was a strange time, I was feeling really stuck. On top of things also my laptop broke, while all my fellow students had the latest model. I realized that I was a bit annoyed and that again annoyed me, because why should I be annoyed by other people? Somehow I was pretty annoyed with life and with my situation. After a little camping trip with friends, I had a spontaneous idea that I wanted a Van instead of replacing my laptop. So, I bought a small van, which would play a big role in my journey as a painter. I kept studying until 2021, but I felt stagnant, as my friends moved to bigger cities like Leipzig and Berlin. 

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So: I found myself in this unheated testing centre, which ironically used to be a nightclub where I worked 5 years ago. Wearing my work clothes, I was doing university stuff on my iPad while sticking this stick in people's noses, knowing that all my fellow students could study from home because they didn't have to work. It became too much and I thought: I am putting so much into my rent and working hard, why not just move into the van? Quit my apartment, and drive off for a while?” 

I think that leads back to the point of how I grew up because I didn't have any pressure on my career path. I never got any pressure from my mother. So ever since I was 16, I've been independent, I wasn't afraid of earning my own money. And I think it gave me a lot of freedom at that moment, that it actually didn't bother me at all to take that risk to move into the van. I converted it for 100 Euros into a campervan.

Alex: For 100 Euros? How? *Laughs*

Josie: Yes. When I moved out, I cut my mattress down to size on the street using a bread knife and built a bed out of free wooden panels from a place in Hannover. I asked friends for tools and kept my expenses low—you never know if you might find van life isn’t for you! So that was it. At that time, I was also looking for a new hobby because I wasn’t in a good place mentally. Like many people, I tried different things during lockdown, and then I stumbled upon some acrylic paints my mom had given me. I decided to dive into painting, and it just clicked! One day I was in a Zoom Meeting for my university and I knew I wouldn't listen. So I just painted. That turned into hours of painting. Before I knew it, I was painting every day!

Alex: You've come a long way in three years, which I find very inspiring. I read some of your Instagram posts about moving to Portugal and living the van life, and it’s fascinating. You wrote about how it's not all beautiful moments; there are times when you question everything, like why you're living in a car and using public restrooms. How did you find peace with that situation? How were the first few months in Portugal? And how did everything develop, especially with your painting?

Josie: The best thing was that I had no expectations. Without sounding too dramatic, I knew that if I stayed in Hanover, it would end badly for me. I wouldn't be happy there. So I hit this point where I felt like “If I don't change anything now, then I'm in a hamster wheel.” I didn't have a plan, I was just open to whatever came my way. Especially after that time in the test centre, I thought it couldn't get worse. I'll just go and see what happens. And I think that helped because I set off without a plan and I just wanted something new. I started with WorkAway, where you work for people in exchange for food and lodging. I ended up in the middle of nowhere in France with a couple, an Australian guy, and an Italian guy. We were building a roller coaster in this guy’s garden. It was such a fun experience. It was pretty wild. We were in the middle of nowhere, working on all sorts of projects, like building a hut and an outdoor gym. I spent a month there, waking up with the sun, building stuff, and even trying to build a roller coaster, as the guy was totally obsessed with them.

Alex: How do you even start building a roller coaster?

Josie: Yeah, it was pretty random. I would never ride it myself, though. It was made of wood and not the safest thing. The owner wanted to use it privately, but we were like, “David, you’ll never be able to use this.” But it was a great start. 

Then I got a job at a kitesurfing school in Portugal, which is why I moved there. It paid a bit, like 50 euros a week. I lived in a van for a month and then shared a room with my coworkers. I had a great time with two girls I worked with, and we became friends quickly before I got a job at a hostel in Ericeira, where I decided to stay longer. I realized that van life was nice, but because I painted a lot, it was getting difficult without space. I painted a lot that year and discovered my love for painting large canvases. I needed either a studio or a room because sleeping between canvases was too much. It wasn’t a big van, just a small Hyundai. It was definitely too cramped to paint in the van so I spent time in Baleal on a dusty parking lot, which is now closed. I painted on the floor and people would come by, curious about what I was doing. It was good to interact with people and get positive feedback. Eventually, I got a room in Ericeira and decided to move there permanently. Still, I painted a lot because I didn’t know many people, and painting gave me peace. My flatmates encouraged me to do something with my art, so I made a list of places in Lisbon where I might exhibit. I went to Amor Records, a vinyl store and bar I thought was cool. I was so nervous when I asked if they worked with artists. The first thing the guy said was that I was bright red in the face, but he liked my stuff and let me paint a wall in their store. That was in March 2023, and everything changed from there. My roommate Elina introduced me to Enrico, who was opening Sol in Ferrel and wanted me to paint a picture. Suddenly, I was getting commissions and people were contacting me through Instagram. That year, I had a new project every month. I exhibited in galleries, painted for cafes, and got more and more commissions. It was exciting, but by the end of the year, I was a bit overwhelmed and decided to put art aside for a bit. I moved back to Hanover in January this year.

Alex: So you lived in Ericeira until then?

Josie: Exactly. I moved back in January, got two jobs, one part-time and a mini job to save money, and decided not to focus on art for a while. But then more requests started coming in, even from Germany. Restaurants, coffee roasters, and private clients were all reaching out. It was shocking but wonderful. I didn’t understand why people wanted my art, but I was extremely happy and grateful.

Alex: What exactly was surprising? That people wanted to buy your paintings or that they wanted them in their homes?

Josie: Both, really. It was strange that people were willing to pay for my art and that they wanted it in their homes. It was overwhelming and a bit frightening. I started feeling pressure because I was being paid and felt I had to meet expectations. Everything happened so fast and wasn’t planned. When I moved back to Germany, I had to figure out how to register as a freelance artist and handle self-employment. I didn’t know anyone else who was self-employed, so I had to learn everything on my own. Since May 1, I’ve been fully self-employed, practising art as my only job and it is still exciting but also still a bit overwhelming. I don’t have a clear plan, but a lot is happening.

Alex: Congrats. It sounds like Portugal had a huge impact on your art? 

Josie: I think if I had never moved to Portugal, I wouldn't be where I am now. Portugal has shaped me immensely. It's like my life is divided into chapters, and moving to Portugal was a significant one. I had never been as broke as I was in this country; the rent was so expensive, and I tried to sell art on the side. Despite the financial struggle, I was happier than ever, which was a stark contrast to my life in Germany. The beauty of Portugal, the mix of people from different countries, and the sense of community were things I hadn't experienced before. Living with people from different countries taught me so much about their cultures, like Brazilian barbecues and Ukrainian breakfast rituals. I remember my first Brazilian barbecue; it was so relaxed and communal, unlike the formal grilling sessions in Germany. One memorable incident that exemplifies the Portuguese spirit was when my car broke down at a roundabout. People immediately came to help me, pushing my car and towing it to a parking lot. A Portuguese man and a Berliner helped, and even a mechanic came to fix my car. This sense of community and willingness to help was something I hadn't experienced in Germany. I know, it was just a completely different experience. In Germany, it would have been a different story.

Alex: Most likely, haha.

Josie: I've noticed that living in Portugal has made me more relaxed and laid-back. Even now, on vacation with friends from Lisbon and my German friends, I can see the difference. People in Germany tend to complain and get irritated easily. Everything is a bit stupid. If it's too hot, it's too...this and that. In Portugal, people seem content with less and this simplicity has inspired me, even in my art. I incorporate elements like bikes, skateboards, mp3 players, and analogue things, which represent a sense of community and the idea that you don't need much to be happy. Portugal taught me that it's okay not to have a university degree or a clear plan. People accept you for who you are, and that acceptance has been really comforting.

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Alex: Looking back, do you think you were on the right path, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time?

Josie: I’ve found peace in knowing that every decision leads to a path, and there’s no single right path. There are many possible paths, some good and some bad. I’ve stopped planning my future rigidly and focused on gaining experience. For me, art is a priority, both in my job and personal life. If I hadn’t started painting, I wouldn’t be who I am. Art allows me to dream and be realistic at the same time, giving me peace. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m okay with that.

Alex: It sounds like you've found a well-known path. I’m reading a book by a psychologist who says Goethe didn’t write Faust; Faust wrote Goethe. I find it very interesting to imagine that. What if art were to choose someone and say, “Hey, hey, Alex, hey Josie, you have to do this now, because we just don't have the images to depict reality. You have to do it somehow. Do you think art is changing you?

Josie: Growing up, I had a beautiful childhood, but also faced a lot of negativity as I would later find out. I experienced a lot of negativity in my life until I was a teenager. I come from a family with addiction and depression issues and I think I was never able to really grasp it. I was always careful with myself, not wanting to fall into depression. Before I started painting, I was very sad, and people noticed it. I had several people tell me when I was young that “there's something sad about you.” And I realized, “Well that has to be because of my upbringing.” And what I find so amazing about art is, since I started painting, I have a different aura, and even those who said I looked sad before now see a change. Painting positive and beautiful moments has brought me peace and happiness. This year, for example, going back to Germany, despite many things going wrong, I could handle them with humour, something I couldn’t have done three years ago. The combination of art and the Portuguese way of life has changed me. Art can convey positivity and make you feel that everything is okay, much like a good song. Art has completely changed me, even in terms of my mindset. And I'm really grateful for that. 

Alex: Yes, I sometimes have the feeling that as soon as you put trust into a certain thing, really magical things actually happen. What inspires you to make art?

Josie: I love observing people more than looking at other paintings. I enjoy going to museums, but not frequently. I don't have much knowledge about art history or the art world. My biggest inspiration comes from my environment, people, everyday life, walks, music, and conversations. Conversations are probably my greatest source of inspiration.

Alex: Before we are coming to a close here, one last question. What are your pictures about at the moment, while being in Germany? Has anything changed stylistically for you since you moved back?

Josie: This year, I painted many commissioned works for cafes, focusing on food and community. Then I realized, “That's enough now.” I want to paint for myself again. I’m working on a project that captures what the 20s feel like, combining positive and negative aspects, the bad and the beautiful in one picture. I see how unhappy some of my friends are and I want to combine their stories with those I have listened to during my travels. I’ve noticed a shift in my painting topics; they now have more context and meaning. Also now my colors have become lighter again. As soon as summer comes, I paint warmer and lighter. 

Alex: Thanks Josie, what a wonderful conversation.

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