.

Almost there: LANDPARTIE opens July 12

[english version below]

Zusammen mit Melvin habe ich diese Woche die ersten Kunstwerke für die LANDPARTIE nach Angeln an der Schlei transportiert. Es gibt noch viel zu organisieren und vorzubereiten, aber ich bin sehr zuversichtlich, dass wir alles rechtzeitig zur Eröffnung am nächsten Samstag, dem 12. Juli, in der KNEIPE in Scheggerott schaffen werden.

Hier ist der Google link.

Zwei Dinge:

1. Wenn du selbst aus Hamburg fährst und noch Platz im Auto hast, sag mir bitte Bescheid – es gibt ein paar Freunde, die der Deutschen Bahn nicht trauen und sich über eine Mitfahrgelegenheit freuen würden.

2. Wenn du Interesse an den limitierten T-Shirts „I am all out of Love Songs“ hast, bestelle sie bitte spätestens bis zum 12. Juli, da ich die Bestellung direkt nach der Landpartie aufgebe. Du kannst sie auch direkt bei der Ausstellung bestellen.

Ich hoffe, wir sehen uns nächste Woche!

LANDPARTIE!
12. Juli 2025


Von 13 Uhr bis spät.
Es gibt Getränke, BBQ und ein Lagerfeuer zum Tagesausklang.

Ein großes Dankeschön an meine Unterstützer Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei und Weingut TESCH.

ENGLISH VERSION:

Together with Melvin, I have transported the first artworks for LANDPARTIE this week. There is still a lot to organize and prepare, but I am very confident that we get it all done in time for the opening next week Saturday, July 12, at the KNEIPE in Scheggerott. Here’s the Google link.

Two things:

  1. If you are driving yourself from Hamburg and still have space in your car, please let me know, there are a few friends who do not trust Deutsche Bahn and would love to share the ride

  2. If you are interested in the special edition T-Shirts “I am all out of Love Songs”, please make sure to order them by July 12 the latest, as I will place the order right after the Landpartie. You can also order them in person at the exhibition.

Hope to see you all next week!

LANDPARTIE!
July 12, 2025
Doors open at 1 pm, we will be there until late.
There will be drinks and BBQ and a campfire to end the day.

A big thank you to my supporters Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei and Weingut TESCH.

I am all out of Love Songs

T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt
T-Shirt "I am all out of Love Songs" PINK/BLACK
€30.00

I have released a new series of products (as well as the original) based upon my drawing "I am all out of Love Songs”. Visit the shop for all the details. And read some context/background below.

The shirts will be printed on demand, so please order them until July 12 (date of my next exhibition “Landpartie”. You will be able to order them at the exhibition as well.

I will collect all orders until this date and have them produced and shipped. There will be no second print run from this motive ever again!

Heavy Bag Heavy Bag
Heavy Bag "I am all out of Love Songs"
€29.00
T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt T-Shirt
T-Shirt "I am all out of Love Songs" WHITE
€30.00
HOODIE HOODIE HOODIE HOODIE HOODIE HOODIE HOODIE
HOODIE "I am all out of Love Songs" PINK/BLACK
€70.00
BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 € BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 € BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 € BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 € BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 € BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 € BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 €
Sale
BUNDLE #3: Book & Hoodie & Print | SAVE 25 €
€119.90 €144.90
BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 € BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 € BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 € BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 € BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 € BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 € BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 €
Sale
BUNDLE #5: Book & T-Shirt white | SAVE 10 €
€59.90 €89.90
BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 € BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 € BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 € BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 € BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 € BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 € BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 €
Sale
BUNDLE #1: Book & T-Shirt Pink/Black & Print | SAVE 15 €
€89.90 €104.90

Sometimes one of my works becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like this one, created almost exactly a year ago: the fountain pen drawing “I am all out of Love Songs.”

Back then, times were already shitty – but right now, things seem to be getting worse by the day…
I don’t know about you, but these days I almost wake up afraid to check the news – worried that one of the crazy, selfish, and cruel people running the world has once again come up with some new disaster overnight.

For my inner balance, I’m incredibly grateful that there is also so much love in my life – thanks to my wonderful family and all the friends and accomplices who surround me. I know I’m very privileged in many ways.

Of course, being an artist helps – having the opportunity to express my emotions, views, and attitude through my work, driven by the passion that has always fueled me, is a huge privilege as well. And I sincerely hope I can take you along on this journey and maybe even inspire you from time to time.

That’s why I decided to release the drawing mentioned above as a textile design and a print (the original is still available, by the way). I suspect that some of you may also be “out of Love Songs” right now… so maybe it resonates. I’ve gone a little wild with bundles, products, and options – as you can see in the online shop – but if you find something you like, I’ll be sure to send you an extra dose of hugs and kisses with it!

Oh, and just so you know – I produce the shirts & hoodies on demand, so you’d have to place your order by July 12 (in time for LANDPARTIE!). After that, everything goes into production – and I’ll never reissue this design again.

Framed & Ready For July 12!

Framing the big one. Completing this huge woodcut/painting almost 4 months after I started.

Another one ready für die LANDPARTIE!

Evening Landscape

In my quest to figure out some of my early influences in art, I approached Joseph Mallord William Turner’s “Evening Landscape with Castle and Bridge in Yorkshire”, a watercolor dated between 1798 and 1799, using of course my own tools and techniques.

The work is a blend of painting and carving, 50 x 70 cm in size, and will be first shown at the “LANDPARTIE!” July 12, 2025 in Scheggerott, Angeln. Here’s all the info about the exhibition.

Below are some “work in progress images”. I was working in two carvings at the same time, using the same color palette and inspiration.

This work as well as the previous “Waterlilies and Agapanthus” (Monet) and “Four Trees” (Schiele) are part of a special project for the Geberit Collection.

Landpartie!

Seit 2018 saniere ich mit meiner Familie ein Fachwerkhaus von 1866 in Wagersrott. Mit der „LANDPARTIE“ zeige ich nun mein künstlerisches Werk erstmals auch in Angeln.

Zu sehen sind meine ungewühnlichen Holzbilder - eine Kombination aus Holzschnitt und Malerei -, Zeichnungen und Skulpturen. Wir werden grillen, es gibt Kehrwieder Bier vom Fass, Wein von TESCH (und alkoholfreies natürlich auch), und am Abend lassen wir den Tag entspannt am Lagerfeuer ausklingen.

Ich freue mich auf gemeinsame Stunden mit euch - und mit der Kunst!

Für Interessierte aus Hamburg gibt es auch eine Bustour von St. Pauli nach Scheggerott und zurück: Tickets einfach hier online bestellen!

***

Since 2018, artist Jörg Heikhaus (aka Alex Diamond) and his family have been renovating a half-timbered house from 1866 in Wagersrott. With the ‘LANDPARTIE’, he is now showing his artistic work for the first time in Angeln, where you can see his unique wooden pictures - a combination of woodcut and painting -, drawings and sculptures. We'll have a barbecue, Kehrwieder beer on tap, wine from TESCH (and non-alcoholic wine too, of course), and in the evening we'll round off the day by the campfire and look forward to spending time with you - and with art!

For those interested from Hamburg, there is also a bus tour from St. Pauli to Scheggerott and back: Simply order tickets online here:

Four Trees (2025)

Four Trees (2025)
Woodcut, acrylic paint, 50 x 70 x 3 cm (2025)

The world is fragile.

Let’s take better care of it. Of us.

My most recent (finished) work. And yes! Egon Schiele. This will be shown at the LANDPARTIE, July 12, in Scheggerott, where I can also tell you why I “quote” this artist.

Landpartie: More details
Book now: Tickets for the bustour (Hamburg - Scheggerott - Hamburg)

Launch of "The Alex Diamond Studio Experience" - and THE sculptures!

„The Alex Diamond Studio Experience“ is a new format of cozy events that I will host from time to time at my studio: The Ranch (the „old“ heliumcowboy and my Studio in Bäckerbreitergang 75 in Hamburg). The first of these events was held on February 28, 2025.

It‘s not a Vernissage, but a relaxed get-together in the evening, where I introduce my guests to brand new artwork and show a selection of pieces from recent times whilst sharing a few drinks and stories at the legendary bar.

This is also an opportunity to present brand new work, before it goes into exhibitions and / or collector‘s homes.

This first event also saw the unveiling of a brand new direction in my work: Art with the chainsaw!

A few weeks ago I started to saw my first sculptures out of pieces of the trunk of a massive birch we felled last year on our farm up north (we had to cut it down for security reasons). I must say, this work is insanely rewarding; chopping away on these trunks with the chainsaw is extremely satisfying and I am very happy with the results.

The exhibited artwork will be on display for a couple of weeks and you can get in touch for an appointment during this time.

True.

Just one more reminder to all my german friends: Please VOTE!

It is our chance to make these drawings come true, with a swift cross of your pen on the ballot for a NON-right wing party we can begin to erase (or at least dampen) the current nightmare.

This video is from the last (and lost) election in Europe 2024. And unfortunately even more important now.

Thank you.

P.S.: For those who do not know the background of „This machine kills fascists“ - Woodie Guthrie had these words on his guitar, and many artists (including me) use this in their work.

Den Wald vor lauter Bäumen ...

I got a thing with trees now.

These four are all brand new and currently available in my online shop. As usual these are drawn with my cherished Montblanc Fountain pens on heavy drawing paper (Lana Dessin 220 gsm paper, 29,7 × 21 cm) and come framed. I am using a special ink, a gift from a friend, until the bottle is empty (half way there): the Montblanc permanent grey, 90 years Meisterstück limited edition.

(Framing example)

Denali

[ this is the main text from my newsletter - you can subscribe to it here and get it earlier and in your mailbox ]

Dear Friends,

We have to talk. No, I am not hitting the panic button here, but I'd like to address a few heavy hitters that are on my mind, and I hope you stay with me. Sorry, no fun artist newsletter again today, but there will also be nice things at the end, like a new print edition I'll be releasing shortly and some new drawings and stuff, so I hope you bear with me and keep welcoming these newsletters into your inbox. I am very grateful for your many responses to my previous emails, and I warmly welcome all the new subscribers. I hope you'll all enjoy it.

Alright. Let's get the big one out of the way first:

What the fuck is happening?

The mighty Donald is running America uncontrollably like a vengeful autocrat, selected by God (his own words) and surrounded by boot-licking minions, including dangerously powerful media billionaires. Fascists are on the rise again everywhere, and soon they will be pretty strongly represented in the German parliament, too. Not sure how to stop them; politicians overall seem to be pretty headless and try to fight fire with fire. All of that in a society that gets more hostile every day, with a dying debate culture leading to too much awful noise to bear... especially in the social media frenzy we all so willingly feed.

It is too much for me right now. Honestly, I have no clue how to deal with all of this on a personal level. I think of myself as a well-informed person, getting my news from reading reputable newspapers and listening to informative podcasts supporting constructive journalism (such as "Die Lage der Nation" - if you do not know this one already, I recommend it highly to my German friends). And in the light of all this, I am looking for solutions, trying to find a way to keep our humanity intact, despite all the angry screaming that surrounds us.

I have decided to not spend valuable time on Instagram any longer. I expect similar reactions like when I left Facebook in 2019 - people told me then that this would be the end of my art career. Well, it wasn't. I am still creating artwork that I find relevant and important, which is the definition of the work of an artist. Now I hit pause on Instagram as well. Yes, I know, most artists believe they cannot be successful without it. But is that really true? What will really change when creatives show Zuckerberg the finger?

I believe that artists should invest more time elsewhere. First and foremost, of course, in the studio, instead of submitting our art practice to creating entertaining posts for the algorithm. We can still stay together, connected and informed. I suggest: websites, newsletters, podcasts - and talks amongst each other.

I have not been on Instagram for more than a week now - and as I mentioned, I am Facebook-free for 5 years, have never been on Twitter with my art, and no, I will never ever spend a second on TikTok. I use LinkedIn sparingly, and recently have only briefly looked into Bluesky and Substack as alternatives (still making up my mind).

This last week I have completed three very detailed and large fountain pen drawings. One of these drawings (the smallest) is the one above, from Mount Denali, a symbol for the insanity of our days. It is the mountain that the crazy King of America renamed on day one of his regency, back to Mount McKinley, which is purely a nationalistic and anti-indigenous, asshole move. You might know why Denali is a strong symbol for these hard times; if not, please read up on it - I'll post a link at the bottom. Besides creating artwork, I have initiated a print release and done a lot of organizational shit I do not want to bore you with.

My conclusion? I won: a lot of time! I am talking about the time I did NOT use to create content for social media, which takes up many hours per week if you do it professionally. We all try to make the results look so easy, no matter what we post, but that is not the reality, is it? "Happy gallerist & ecstatic artist faces at sold-out opening" equals weeks of preparation and sweat. Fast-forward WIP-reels are the result of time-consuming, focused and intense workshop days and days and days and days before. Plus the editing at the end to make it look so beautiful (and, of course, successful) on a smartphone.

Fuck that.

"I want to be calm in order to work... I have no time to waste right now."

Claude Monet wrote this. Sure, he did not have to bother with social media and self-promotion. He wrote some letters, met with people (mostly at his home and gardens at Giverny) to drink wine, smoke cigarettes, and share food with them - and other than that, he worked on his paintings. Because that is actually what artists should use their time for! And yes, this quote is from when he was older, and yes, our years being able to work are limited, but the core is still true no matter if you are 25 or 57 (like me).

"To be calm in order to work" - how can we be calm when the first thing we do in the mornings and the last thing before we go to bed (not counting the uncountable times in between) is looking at our phones to check out the "likes" we got? How can we make artwork when we go down the rabbit hole searching for recognition and admiration on a mass media product that doesn't give a shit about anything but making money for the owners? And now even worse, becoming a propaganda machine for the far right? Crazy.

I hope you can understand that I am not willing to feed the dragon any longer right now. Of course, I am too unsure what this move really means. But if I don't try, how will I ever know?

Fortunately, there are many other ways to keep you informed: This newsletter, for example. Or my website with almost all my art on it, a blog with news and details about specific works, exhibitions, releases etc. I am also considering Substack at the moment for an additional output (for my words). I am not out of the digital world, not at all. But honestly: do artists really have enough interesting things to talk about and show around on a daily basis on Instagram? I seriously doubt it. And I certainly don't.

I know, I have only a few more than 3,000 followers, which is very poor in Instagram currency. But even if you have tens of thousands - ever calculated how many percent of these followers actually see your output? Anyway, for me this is not about the numbers, it is about the atrocious actions of the owners of these platforms that disgust me and drive me away.





Okay. I believe I made my point. So let's get to the other stuff I mentioned earlier, the announcements and practical information.

In February I will release a limited print edition of my woodcut "Waterlilies and Agapanthus" (a high-quality giclée print). It comes as print-only and in an elegantly framed version. Details can be found on my website, where you can pre-order it already (all links below).

I will also release two large original drawings next week; they still need to be framed before I can show you more. These are drawings I created in my Instagram-free time, so they sure are pretty special. You just wait and see - I added some spoilers below.

You can also purchase the "DENALI" drawing from the top of this newsletter, but of course without the yellow wording. This can also be ordered online through my website here. My family and I have taken over a share in sponsoring the Sea-Eye 5, a rescue boat for refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. The proceeds from the Denali drawing will help maintain our monthly sponsorship of this lifesaving vessel.

Last night I finished a smaller, political drawing that I placed in my shop as well. It's a tree with a carved heart in the bark that... well, see for yourself!

There are still copies left of my newest book "GOD JOB.", published with Gudberg Nerger. You can order it through them, or, if you want a personalized dedication, through my own online shop (where you also find all my other books... and some wine...).

This was a lot, I hope it is as important to you as it is to me.

Keep up the fight,

Jörg

Other things mentioned above:

PRINT EDITION | Water Lilies and Agapanthus (2025) PRINT EDITION | Water Lilies and Agapanthus (2025) PRINT EDITION | Water Lilies and Agapanthus (2025)
PRINT EDITION | Water Lilies and Agapanthus (2025)
from €35.00
Good Job. | 500 Drawings (2021–2024) Good Job. | 500 Drawings (2021–2024)
Good Job. | 500 Drawings (2021–2024)
€39.90

Water Lilies and Agapanthus (2025)

First work of the year:

Water Lilies and Agapanthus (2025)
Acrylic paint, carved wood. 50 x 70 x 3 cm

Here’s something new I am currently exploring. I mentioned in my last newsletter that I usually reserve the time around Christmas and the New Year to calm down, read books about famous artists (this year it’s Monet all the way), admiring and analyzing their work, wandering in their shoes and in their times for a bit, feeling how they might’ve felt – and contemplating what I (the artist) want (need!) to be doing next. There all all these ideas, thoughts, rough concepts, the nonsense and the rage, swirling around in my head. Nothing really to hold on to, but that is anyway not what I am aiming for – I try to be as free as I can in this phase. No restraints. And no pressure.

So for my first time spent in the studio this year I approached a painting from impressionist Claude Monet from 1923, called „Water Lilies and Agapanthus“, painted in his famous garden in Giverny.

I carved and painted this in my famous old farmhouse house in the countryside, middle of nowhere, up North. I hope it gives you joy.


If you are interested in this work, please contact my studio manager Dorian by mail.

MY ARTWORK IS TERRIBLE AND I AM A VERY BAD PERSON

[this is the main text from my newsletter - you can subscribe to it here and read it 24 hrs earlier (I know, quite an incentive, right??)]



Yeah. Another year almost done. Yeah. More wise words, another artist newsletter to f***ing read before we clock out of 2024. Yeah. Yeah.

But I am not looking back, no way, last year was a bit too far off for my taste. However, focusing on what's to come seems even harder, as there’s never been such uncertainty ahead of me as today.

The time between Christmas and the New Year is usually reserved for calming down, reading books about artists (this year it's Monet all the way), admiring and analyzing their work, wandering in their shoes and their times a bit, feeling how they might've felt – and contemplating what I (the artist) want (need!) to be doing next. There are all these ideas, thoughts, rough concepts, the nonsense and the rage, swirling around in my head. Nothing really to hold on to, but that is anyway not what I am aiming for – I try to be as free as I can in this phase. No restraints. And no pressure.

Somehow achieving this state of mind this year seems more difficult than usual.

But look, here’s what I did to nevertheless get to the place I need to go to:

I picked up a new sketchbook from under the tree, a present from my son Melvin, one he watched me unwrap with a big smile on his face. As a sketchbook, it is not really that good: the paper is thick but really cheap, so my ink bleeds out if I'm not careful, the binding won't fold up enough, so I gotta hold the pages down while drawing. It is one of those sell-out products you get at Museum Stores; Melvin picked this one up at the Tate Modern. But I do like it, it is making money for one of my favorite artists, David Shrigley, and on the front he drew in fat letters:

MY ARTWORK IS TERRIBLE AND I AM A VERY BAD PERSON

As an artist and a father, probably not the nicest words to read on Christmas Eve on a gift from your son, who's also been your gallerist, but I know how well Melvin meant this and we do share the same humor. So yeah, we had a good laugh. But what Shrigley says here is very true - I guess this "feeling" is in many artists' heads, and not just the struggling ones, because it is about coping with doubts, which probably most of us do a lot more than necessary. And once you're finished diminishing your talent and artwork and career, you go on to feeling poorly as a person too. I mentioned earlier that I love reading books about famous artists, so I feel authorized to say: most of them did feel shitty about themselves a lot throughout their glorious artist lives.

That is roughly where I found myself: instead of quietening down, I stood at the entrance of the rabbit hole, not sure whether to crawl inside or turn around and just shrug it off, as I am usually more than capable of, dealing with this kind of life for such a long time already. The book and the quote came at a pretty good moment, when I just wanted to figure out what to do next, not really getting in the mood to let go and think freely.

And so, early in the morning of December 29, 2024, I picked up my fountain pen and that lovely grey ink I got from a friend, and began to fill the 144 pages of Shrigley's mean sketchbook – well, only on one side because of the mediocre paper quality, so it comes to 72 in total.

And: I didn't stop until I finished the last page, some time after midnight.

The drawings all are pretty moody and dark, for the first time I am using French instead of English, there are also lots of flowers and other references to art history and artists I admire (Monet! Schiele! Pettibon! Even Shrigley gets a page, that old bastard - yu can find it at the bottom of this newsletter.), some are pretty bad (I can be a terrible artist if I want to) and some are just mean (I am a bad person, remember), but most are like climbing on a ladder out of my dark thoughts, leaving them on the cheap paper, and diving back into my own head, refreshed and oblivious, where I will rest now till the end of the year (and a bit beyond that), before I go back to the studio and paint and build and carve and draw the f**k out of 2025.

I wish you all a great start into the New Year,
may all your hopes and dreams come true.

Let's all work together and make the world safe and lovable again.

I see you on the other side.


Jörg


Good Job.

Dear friends,

I have some good news for you all today: "GOOD JOB," my new book, is coming out next week in a beautiful, fat publication, available for pre-order now and celebrated with a release party next Thursday (Nov 28, 7 PM) at my publisher’s, GUDBERG NERGER, in Hamburg.

Insane! 500 drawings that I created since 2021—the last one is from this summer. When a body of work of such volume comes in printed form, it is simply overwhelming for me as an artist. But I really cannot tell you more; it is impossible to judge from my point of view, and I have no sales pitch for you except:

This is a beautiful book of the highest quality, both in terms of print and layout. It is limited to 250 copies. It contains my heart and soul and my view of the world; it is sometimes romantic, funny, melancholic, political, harsh, soft-spoken, angry, or noisy. 500 drawings is a lot! The times in which these pages were created are tough. Some of it resonates in these drawings, and some will help you smile again. I would hope I could convince people who have wandered off into the far-right and populist abyss to change their fucked up minds, but I know that this is a task so huge I cannot ask of this book.

I can only recommend getting it online, or even better—come to the launch. We will install a lot of original drawings at the gallery of GUDBERG NERGER. I will, of course, be there to sign it, talk to you about it, and generally have a good time celebrating together. Just click the links here to get all the info:

Pre-order. (Yes I will sign those too if you want me to!)

Book release at GUDBERG NERGER
28th of November, 7–11 PM.

Kisses and hugs go out to Jan Müller-Wiefel at GUDBERG NERGER for a job well done producing it (and patience with me), to Yasha Young and Jonathan LeVine for their forewords in the book, to Geberit for the support, to the printers at AZ Druck, and to Kehrwieder for the beer on tap at the opening. More kisses and hugs will be handed out next Thursday.

FCKTHSSHT.

Even though I am seeing myself as a political person and an artist with a voice I am not sure that I need to comment on the insane election result in the USA. It’s not my country. Am I super disappointed? Sure. We can only hope there are enough people with some sense around in the next government so that our world doesn’t go spiraling down the fascist abyss even more. It will also be our task here in Germany to avoid this in our own country come next year’s elections.

There’s work to do.