Interview
Claudia Habringer
Art, teaching, systemic energetics, and intercultural communication are Claudia’s life and passion. As a trained music actress, she switched to the field of education and coaching, accompanying people of all ages in their creative processes.
Claudia also recognized her talent for sensing energetic fields, and followed the task of making them visible through dance, singing and fine art. She calls her artworks ‘Art by Resonance and Perception’, as they are never designed but created in the moment. She sees them as a journey on the one hand, and a blueprint of the object she resonates with on the other.
Claudia’s striking lines and bright colors seem to involve themselves through the whole process. She has never followed a certain art form, but aims to surrender to the flow. It is, above all, an act of making the invisible visible. She sees the hardest part as ignoring the Master brain and going with the subconscious.
Claudia’s colorful artworks can brighten up a room and make the observer return again and again, as there is always something new to discover.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I became an actress in 1988 after graduating from The Gesangs-und Tanz Studio and the Theater an Der Wien in Vienna. Singing, acting, and dancing have been my passion since I was a kid. As it turned out, I would not end up taking the path in life that I had dreamed of. My capabilities to teach and work with people guided me in another direction. I started to use all my resources to work with kids, adults, artists, therapists, managers, and musicians.
I like creating a nourishing surrounding and support with impulses to help people discover their creativity. Performing art was always very helpful in my seminars and workshops, and even in language classes. Along with performing art and coaching in various settings, my interest in systemic energetic and spirituality rose. I could sense more than I could see. So I decided to dance and sing my perceptions, and finally found my way to draw and paint what I perceived.
Colors and lines have become my language on the canvas. When I took part in exhibitions, I realized that people loved my paintings and drawings. That was why I continued. I love being in touch with the big picture.”
What inspires you most?
“I go with the flow and follow my instincts. Whatever occurs in my mind leads to an urge, and I sit down, resonate with it and draw. There are no sketches in advance. I take a marker and start with the lines, always in contact with the targeted subject. Master mind needs to rest, which can be difficult in times when I’m flooded by thoughts and ideas during the process.
You can compare it to a journey. It starts with a dot, a line, layers and colors, and ends when I have the feeling that there is nothing to add. It’s like a feeling of satiety. Sometimes the process holds its own information, arising like a dream sequence.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Lines, dashes, and surfaces are a way to penetrate into deeper dimensions and bring them to the surface. Lines set boundaries and change perspectives; they create depth and shape spaces.
I avoid thinking about the result as I start. There is no inner conflict with the goal because the goal lies within me and is present at every moment. It’s the concentration on what I want to vibrate with, and what interests me. The mind is counterproductive in this case. I leave the conventional notion of time and space and embark on a journey of discovery.
This is how pictures of well-known classical composers, painters, writers, plants, people I know, historical events and planets come about. The possibilities are endless.”
“Many of my artworks are full of symbols I’ve never seen before, and that makes each piece special to me.”
How would you describe your work?
“I aim to make the invisible visible to the eye. The spectator also adds their own world and perception to it. I would prefer that my artworks are felt rather than looked at, even though this is probably a bit much to ask for. What I can tell from experience is that my works have an impact on the space they are placed in. They talk to you in a different form.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I really can’t tell, as I’ve never copied or tried to be like someone else.”
What is your creative process like?
“Meditation at the beginning helps me to connect to the subject, and then I start with the movement pattern I perceive. The rest of the process is trusting in my capabilities and senses. The colors I choose to use feel like they are calling to be picked. It is an expedition into another world.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I see this question in a spiritual and philosophical way. We all are here to fulfill a purpose in a pre-chosen way. Fulfillment is reached when you find your chosen path. When your creation speaks to people freely, you are an artist, no matter what creative form you have chosen. It can be a critique on society, or something that sparks pleasure, or it may touch you emotionally and make you think and reflect, or even sharpen your senses.
Art is a soul movement to be shown to the outer world. Therefore, it reflects the spirit of the time we are living in. It is a language that goes beyond words and reaches without talking, to be remembered and stored in a cloud.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My noteworthy exhibitions lie in the future.”
