About

Carola Huttmann

I have appreciated art all my life but, as with poetry, only came to writing about and practising it in the past two decades. I am interested in the idea of Ekphrasis and the ways in which it can be utilised and explored artistically and narratively. A further subtext to this is examining how art is reflected in nature and vice versa and how both are portrayed in literature, either as single concepts in their own right or in conjunction with one another.

 

My art focuses on collage, digital and geometric design. Creating a kind of otherness which allows the viewer to see and interpret it according to his own ideas, experiences, taste and outlook, I believe, frees my work from perceived artistic and social constraints and, thus, leads to seeing the unexpected for both artist and audience. 

Much of my creative inspiration is drawn from the richness of landscape, tradition, stories and history which give the Orkney Islands their vibrancy and charm. They have been my home since 1995.

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For more about what I do, as well as essays, short stories, poems and book reviews written over the last twenty years, please click here. 

To talk about anything  art- or writing-related, discuss ideas or commission me please feel free to get in touch anytime. 

contact me 

 

Member of the British Art Network

 

(last updated: 01 September 2026)

© 2020 - 2026

All art and text on this site is the work of Carola Huttmann.

If you wish to reproduce or use any in citations kindly please 

email allwordsdesign@yahoo.co.uk to request permission

Thank You

 

Desert Volley (08.11.2020)        Digital Collage  

Carola Huttmann

 

Artist's Statement

IT is the imagination's ability to transmute simple forms and shapes into alternative ideas or, sometimes, even three-dimensional everyday things — a building, a person, a perceived scene, or something in nature — which interests me.

Beyond Borders

The concept of Beyond Borders is my attempt to break free from what the eye and brain expect to see. It is the opportunity to visualise, in forms, other things and ideas; to allow the imagination free reign. In other words, it's the artistic equivalent of bringing personal experience and insight to the understanding of a poem.

Regarding Titles

I title my pieces merely for the purpose of distinguishing them for my own reference. Originally I considered only dating them, but felt that without specific identifiers of their own it made them perhaps just a little too abstract and divested of ownership.

What I call them, however, is in no way intended to be an influencing factor. Interpretation is left entirely up to the viewer and what he wishes to see in what I have created.

 

POEM: Reflections on a Self-portrait by Lee Krasner, c.1928

Self-portrait by Lee Krasner, c.1928 |© The Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Courtesy the Jewish Museum, New York

 

Reflections on a Self-portrait by Lee Krasner, c.1928

She looks at me, the viewer;
with an expression of what —
disdain? But, no, it can't be
 that — she doesn't know me

It must be concentration —
yes, that's it. She is painting,
focusing on what she's doing;
perhaps I am a distraction

No, it's not that either, because
there is no one else there; only
the artist at her easel in the
garden and a mirror

Ah, yes, so that's it. She studies
her reflection as she directs her
brush, pouting, thoughtful
Does she like what she sees? 

Broad nose, high cheekbones,
arched eyebrows, deep-set eyes;
ears a little on the large side,
but at least they serve to hold 

back her dull-brown hair; long,
elegant neck I imagine might
look distinguished in a high-
necked winter dress or sweater

I am only a stranger; so she'll
not be seeking my opinion,
but to me her face is interesting,
one I'd have liked to know the

person that lies behind. So much
talent, so much imagination, so
much creative drive. Only now
do I glance at what she wears as

she paints — practical, unpretentious
clothes for practising her art — I
like that. It makes me wonder: is
blue one of her favourite colours?  

Carola Huttmann, 26 February 2022