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SCHLOSS WIEPERSDORF - SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY

Jüterbog Art1

A Sunday in the countryside! We rode the train for almost an hour to Jüterbog. Andrea had invited us along on what was, for her, a work assignment to meet a Saarland-area artist in residency at the Schloss Wiepersdorf. She said, there would be an open studio day, where we could see the work of many artists. Little did we expect that we would see work of such realistic precision and taste before even leaving the train station!

At the Schloss Wiepersdorf

To get to the Schloss Wiepersdorf (I give its full name as much as possible because it took me FOREVER to remember it and now I can't forget it) we had to call a bus (a van taxi) pick us up for about another half hour drive which we spent in the company of a very charismatic Berlin tour guide named Giovanni, who may, or may not actually be employed. In any event he was pretty funny and the time passed modestly quickly. We arrived at Schloss Wiepersdorf and found it somewhat of a different appearance from the train station. "Schloss" applies to either a castle, or in this case, something approaching an estate or a country manor -- something you might find in say, Montecito. It wasn't a place we would normally find on the itinerary, or at least ours, but as all good tourists say, "Why not?"

Watching the World Cup at the Orangerie

First stop, the television. Really, we mainly watched people watching television in the Orangerie, a rather unusual setting for watching the World Cup final. Was the crowd for Spain or England? Difficult to tell because it was 1-0 when we arrived, and in soccer terms, the match was over. A few close calls, one nice save, and we could move along to the main event of the day.

Three Under the Umbrella Artist's Studio

With a few minutes to spare, the Schloss patio provided a nice opportunity for something to drink and a photo to take. Then, it was on to a tour of the studio work of the artists in residence. I'm not sure where they live exactly, but they definitely work here. These were pretty cool paintings on paper. There was other art work as well, but you probably have enough of the idea here. Call me if you want to see more.

William Tell Reenactment Monika on the Train=

The studio tours were quite stressful for me; I needed to blow off some steam. Outside the studios were apple trees, and I asked Monika to stand here while I cut off an apple tree branch and whittled it into a bow. Amazingly, I found an extra bowstring and a quiver of arrows behind one of the studios, so I then shot the apple from Monika's head. She thought that was a lot of fun, and celebrated by immediately returning to the train station in Jüterbog, where she was able to get away as fast as possible.

Grafitti at the Jüterbog Station

The Jüterbog train station was not the Schloss. What the two places did have in common though was great art. Here, Monika and Andrea discuss the merits of a piece of vertical wall art. What is the message here? Notice the skill in the curve of the top line, the way it dimishes as it moves from left to right. Do you think this represents the decline of humanity despite its ever-increasing presence on the planet? Monika says if she could she would bring this piece with her back to the States. It would bring a fortune. Maybe in Montecito.

My Jüterbog Office

My office at Jüterbog Station.

On to More Berlin (but not quite yet)

Walking Backwards

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