Welcome to the plain of the Messara, in former times the “granary” of the old Romans.
Nowadays they have greenhouses with tomatoes, cucumbers and paprika. Of course they
live also from the export of grapes and olive oil of highest quality, the Cretan gold.
But the plain of the Messara has as well as whole Crete another dimension,
an artistically dimension. This tradition lasts from the old Minoans to El Greco
and especially in Byzantine painting until today.
Here Frieder Mache lives and works as an artist already since many years. Just beside
his house there is his studio in midst of his 24 olive trees (olive grove). During his
artistically life he could express himself in various techniques and subjects with
a lot of fantasy. He exhibited his paintings very often and successful.
His wife who is one of his most severe critics wrote about the artist:
Frieder Mache started with drawings because if not knowing to draw you are not able
to paint! A short lesson for watercolor painting produced that now „it is painting him“.
He does not paint as usual the wet-in-wet but in a for Frieder typical color-spot technique.
Like a mosaic the distance allows the painting to become a picture in the eyes of the spectator.
As he came from the watercolor-painting he developed oil painting in his own special way, a little bit transparent
where the painting surface is not filled up with color. The result is lucid and often crafty and you can have as it were
a walk inside the painting discovering always something new you have not seen before.
In his pastels he likes to paint in broken, not wiped colors. Never he has he wanted to present the reality which
is visible, never only realistic painting. For him reality is an occasion to create and sometimes he uses only his fantasy.
The painting is completed before his mind’s eye when it comes to be picturised.
But over all in one of his first exhibitions in an art gallery titled „painting is learning to perceive”
he gave opportunity to the spectator to look at the object, to recognize the landscape
or to be fascinated from the interaction of colors and shapes or figures.

The coast of Kaloi Limenes

Aquarelle on paper
40 x 50 cm

On the way from the coast a view back to the bay
between Kaloi limenes and Lendas in southern Crete.
The legend says that Paul the Apostle
landed just here on his first journey.

The harvester

Acryl color on cardboard
50 x 70 cm

A cycle about the
Balkan wars shows here
as a symbol of death,
winter but also
hope for new life.

The white mountains

Oil color rolled on acrylic gesso on plywood
50 x 70 cm

From a cycle about the mythos of Crete
the northern coast of Crete with the
“levka oria” (white mountains) which are
white from snow in wintertime, white in
summertime from the bright red-hot limestone.

A place in Prague

Pen-and-ink drawing on paper
30 x 20 cm

Baroque and neoclassical facades
in the golden town at the river Moldavia.

Thank you very much for your interest.

About your personal comment in my guest book I would be very pleased.
More information and much more paintings you’ll find in my website.

Contact:
Dr. Wilfried Mache
70400 Kapariana
Phone:
+30 2892 024495
Fax:
+30 2892 024495