The Dao of Annual Planning in 2024

New Year’s Resolutions and Implementation Annual Planning and Dao: Today’s article focuses on a personal topic that I hope my valued readers can benefit from. It also includes reflections on topics such as SEO and AI, which were cut off during the year and are now revisited at th … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 18 hours ago

Merry Fir Tree

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You and Your Loved Ones! The post Merry Fir Tree appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 7 days ago

Emperor Hui Zong: When Rulers Still Loved Art

Emperor Hui Zong, a significant ruler of the Song Dynasty but also a remarkable artist and a patron of the arts. The post Emperor Hui Zong: When Rulers Still Loved Art appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 14 days ago

Discovering the Beauty in the Ugly

Exploring Aesthetic Sensibilities Through Photography. Discovering the Beauty in the Ugly – or at least discover something attractive in the ugly: In our last article, we delved into the concept of wabi-sabi and I shared some of my work. Thanks for the positive feedback! Today, w … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 29 days ago

Wabi Sabi and the Aesthetics of Imperfection

Wabi Sabi, a term relatively unknown in the West until recently, holds a special place in my heart. This article reflects my personal approach to Wabi Sabi, illustrated with my own works painted this year. The post Wabi Sabi and the Aesthetics of Imperfection appeared first on Ze … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 month ago

Blind Drawings: Artistic Expression in Darkness

The Blind Drawings series is an experimental collection of over 20 charcoal works, mainly depicting female nudes. This series reflects my exploration into how sensory limitations impact artistic expression. The post Blind Drawings: Artistic Expression in Darkness appeared first o … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 month ago

Theme and Variations

In the series "Theme and Variations about a Blossom in Autumn," the delicate image of a fading blossom takes center stage, offering an allusion to the graceful aging of a young lady. The post Theme and Variations appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 2 months ago

Andy Warhol, a Corpse, Opium, and a Botched Tribunal

“Andy Warhol, A Corpse in the Water, opium and a Botched Tribunal” – sounds like clickbait. And yet, as always, it’s all true. The post Andy Warhol, a Corpse, Opium, and a Botched Tribunal appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 2 months ago

The Silk Road: Personal Reflections

The Silk Road: From a young age, I was fascinated by distant countries, with Asia and the Orient capturing my imagination the most. The post The Silk Road: Personal Reflections appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 3 months ago

Daoist Aspects in My Paintings

Today’s article is divided into two interconnected parts. The sequence of images, all recent works, illustrates my approach to the concept of Nothingness. The post Daoist Aspects in My Paintings appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 3 months ago

What is Reality? What is Nothingness?

What is Reality? Embark on a journey through the realms of reality. Uncover the historical beliefs and scientific progress that have shaped our modern understanding. The post What is Reality? What is Nothingness? appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 3 months ago

Visit of the old Zen Master and other Nonzens

Visit of the old Zen master is nonsense because there is no Zen master that I know. So I can't visit one, so no one can visit me. The post Visit of the old Zen Master and other Nonzens appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 4 months ago

When you live in the most livable city in the world

Living in the world’s most livable city might sound surprising coming from me. Don’t worry, I haven’t switched to advertising, nor am I trying to become a tour guide as my fourth career. The post When you live in the most livable city in the world appeared first on Zettl Fine Art … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 4 months ago

Summer Inventory

Summer Inventory. As a good businessman should, I conduct inventory twice a year. During this process, I find items I had written off as lost or even things I never realized I owned. The post Summer Inventory appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 5 months ago

Can We Hear a Painting?

Can you hear a painting? The idea of paintings creating music has captivated artists for centuries. The post Can We Hear a Painting? appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 5 months ago

Emptiness, Space, and Depth

Emptiness, Space, and Depth: The Spring Collection. Selection of recent Artworks. Studies, sketches, paintings. The post Emptiness, Space, and Depth appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 6 months ago

Essence in Art: Less is More

Brainstorming on the subject of the soul. Due to requests that I was very pleased to receive, I would like to focus on the subject of the soul in this and the next post. The post Essence in Art: Less is More appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 6 months ago

break on through

The Doors, known for capturing exploration and the human desire to uncover the unknown in their music, embody the theme of breaking through to 'the other side'. The 1970s era of experimentation with mind-altering substances, influenced by psychedelic art, has shaped graphic desig … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 7 months ago

Visit of an Old Friend

A visit from an old friend sounds very personal and also nostalgic. And maybe that's it. But I think, or hope, that the text has an inherent positive power, and since we are not exactly overwhelmed with positive things at the moment, it has a certain justification. The post Visit … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 7 months ago

Delving into the Realm of Seals on Artwork

Article about the fascinating world of Chinese seals. From a carver and collector. And above all, an enthusiast. The post Delving into the Realm of Seals on Artwork appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 7 months ago

Selection of New Works

Selection of new works: A small selection of recent works in different techniques. The post Selection of New Works appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 8 months ago

Petra and Sharm El Sheikh Trip

A trip to Petra and The Treasury of the Pharaoh, gorges, some desert and sea. The post Petra and Sharm El Sheikh Trip appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 9 months ago

Between Calligraphy and Painting

Who Sows Calligraphy will Reap Paintings. Between Calligraphy and Painting: In order not to get too boring, this article will be the last one for some time in which calligraphy sets the tone. We have already heard quite a bit about this high-quality art form by now. A few more as … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 9 months ago

Superior Haiku by Ashley

calligraphed by Friedrich. Superior Haiku by Ashley: This article is about a haiku (俳句 or hokku) [1] and the creative process of turning it into calligraphy. The wonderful poem is by Ashley. A short video shows the creation process. In the extra-part there are details about calli … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 9 months ago

red dao and black zen

newly painted calligraphy. red dao and black zen: This article is about creating my series “painted calligraphy” [samples] with more details this time. Which can be a bit boring if you’re not fundamentally interested in the topic of calligraphy. I recently received a call from so … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 10 months ago

Birthday present from Confucius and

One of the best love poems Birthday present from Confucius: So I’m 70 years old now. So what?! Really – so what? How should I react? Emotional? Annoy me that I’m an old fart now? But I was an old fart last year too – and the year before. Don’t even think about it? This […] The po … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 10 months ago

old and new works

and thoughts and concepts. Old and new works – mostly new. And it’s about more than a few brush strokes. When Chinese people see my calligraphy, especially the one written in the traditional style (portfolio), they usually shower me with praise and emphasize that they could never … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 11 months ago

About being happy – reflections and thoughts.

About being happy through the centuries. About being happy was not planned as a topic. But I promised a co-blogger, M, whose work I particularly admire, that I would write a few thoughts on the topic of being happy. Which of course can be seen as arrogance and I would therefore l … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 11 months ago

2024 How do you set it up?

2024 - to defy or embrace? When I say that I welcome the New Year optimistic Daoistic, it may sound surprising given the world situation. The post 2024 How do you set it up? appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 12 months ago

new yearbook is out

surprising stats and tensions. New yearbook is out. To keep things interesting, this blog article comes with two extras. I’ll start with the extras first, and for some reason, the main text will come at the end. Contrary to my previous habits, the main text takes up a few thought … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

Wu Wei a Key Term. Daoist Talks (X)

Chinese Painting and Wu Wei. Wu Wei is a key concept in Daoism. It is an idea that originated in ancient Chinese philosophy and is of central importance to Daoism. However, the term is not always easy to understand, at least for Westerners. But understanding it can help us in man … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

day dream job

and some remarks. Day dream job: Little boys, especially those of preschool age, often aspire to become firefighters or police officers. However, I’m not sure about girls’ future career aspirations. I’m also not sure what my vision was as a 5-year-old. Probably a demolitionist, s … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

Between Here and There

and the Fever-night-creeper between here and there: The topic of this post first came about in reflection on dreams and waking up. One could consider “Here” as the normal state and “There” as the dream world. When we awaken, we are still surrounded by fragments of dreams, and we … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

between cold and heat

We have an old joke: “Should you take medication if you have a cold?” “Absolutely! If you don’t take any, it will take 7 days until you get well again. If you take some, you’ll be back on your feet after 1 week.” Well, it took me more than 2 weeks to stay in bed […] The post betw … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

and the beat goes on

recent artworks. recent artworks: It’s not that there’s nothing to tell, nor that I don’t have enough new pictures to show, but I’m quite busy with a few projects. These projects require a lot of time and attention, so I’ll be posting less frequently in the near future. As someon … | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

a kinda yin-yang too

Not many would immediately recognize the yin-yang aspects in the two images I present today. As an extra there is a short video about the presentation of Zen images. The post a kinda yin-yang too appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

When the let-go period is over

Presentation: I have chosen a work that probably does not immediately cause a “love at first sight” feeling to everybod. Plus a book presentation video. The post When the let-go period is over appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

not nothing this time, but

I actually wanted to write a post called “More Nothing” or something like that. However, my marketing director convinced me that giving my readers more nothing every week was not a recipe for success. The post not nothing this time, but appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

works on meditation

Works on Meditation: According to a study experts estimate that the mind thinks between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day. Of course, many thoughts seem very important to us. After all, they come from us. The post works on meditation appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

Another new morning for the same old sod

As I wrote in my last post, I treated myself to a 3-week spa stay. Well, a vintage car will no longer become a racing car. But a refurbished classic car also has its appeal, it is said. The post Another new morning for the same old sod appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

Elements of Rhyme

Elements of Rhyme pays homage to Dominik Alexander, an impressive living writer with the courage to innovate and a penchant for quality and individualism. The post Elements of Rhyme appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

Summer swan song – or the bitter croaking of ravens

The summer holidays are just around the corner and the last article concludes for the time being on the basis of 2 pictures with the theme of emptiness. The post Summer swan song – or the bitter croaking of ravens appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago

Gaining by letting go

Gaining by letting go is again a formulation that could come from the field of esotericism. I have previously indicated that this is not an area in which I am proficient. The post Gaining by letting go appeared first on Zettl Fine Arts. | Continue reading


@zettl.blog | 1 year ago