My stay with Studio Schmal

With joining Studio Schmal for the weeklong courses in Erlau, a year ago, I could only fantasize: a week drawing outdoors and surrounded by people from all over the world, with Johanna, Cristóbal and the guest teachers, all that in an environment and a house like Erlenhof. A dream, basically!

Last summer I was lucky enough to attend not one, but three of the workshops that Studio Schmal organizes every year. Specifically Geography of Color in collaboration with Kremer Pigmente, Seeds of Fables guided by Jesús Cisneros and Mariana Mendia, and Zine as a Bird with Johanna, Cristóbal and as special guests the RFI Gallery team. All because I was doing an internship at the studio.

For me, it has been very enlightening to move between the participants and the organizational team, being able to enjoy both the play and the backstage. This beautiful limbo, on the one hand, allowed me to know the ins and outs and all effort that goes into each workshop and, on the other hand, to learn by doing. I could attend to how the course was guided and also mingling with the participants to experiment and try out what we had learned. Being aware of all that is needed in order to make the workshops work and also having the time to enjoy the walks in the night to see fireflies, gave me a whole view of it. 

I arrived in Germany to work hand-in-hand with Johanna a month and a half before the courses began. So I was able to be a part of the preliminary organization. And I remember I asked and asked till the last minute about the courses, about the place, about the experience. Partly to satisfy my curiosity, and partly to contrast it with my mental image. But we always came to the same conclusion: it's hard to put into words. How to communicate what is experienced in Erlau during a week of pure creativity and drawing? Many conversations ended with: Ah, you have to be there to know. And she was right.

It is impossible to describe the colors of the fields, the sound of the birds, or the smell coming from the kitchen. It is impossible to describe the calm. A special calm that fills you with energy. It's also hard to describe the bonds you establish with the other people who live in the house with you for a week. On the first day, we all arrive with our personal baggage, our facade, our tiredness from the trip, and in a lot of cases, our internalized anxiety. But in Erlau, everything is shared: time, space, meals, materials, and kind words. So you can't explain how, but sooner than later you feel a strong connection to the group. A feeling of belonging. And you relax, and experience a sense of openness that makes the hours pass differently. An openness that for those of us who enjoy drawing allows us to experiment, to draw without expectations, to let ourselves go. There is no judge. There is only joy. And you look around and see that it is widespread, that there is an atmosphere of play and safety that embraces even the most failed artistic experiments. How precious is that!

And the best part is that can’t be planned in advance. How the energy will be and how as a group we connect can’t be controlled, and that’s the magical part of it. Of course, and from an organizational standpoint, everything possible is done to make one feel welcome and like at home. Also Mélanie Wehrli, the chef, makes sure that every time you sit at the table it is a feast. Really, every dish is delicious, fresh, with ecological and local products, a delight. At first glance, it may seem that what we eat is secondary, but it is very much linked to the creative experience we have in the courses. I can't explain it better, but they feed off each other. You go home with a full stomach and a full heart ❤️

This is what it has been like for me to be with Studio Schmal this summer in Erlau, but I don't want to say goodbye without thanking again Johanna, Cristo, and all the people I’ve met these weeks. Thank you for your generosity and kindness. I am aware of the enormous privilege it is to enjoy all this lightness and beauty.

But, who am I? I barely introduced myself here. I’m Andrea - peregrini whenever I sign a drawing - and as I said before, I did an internship at Studio Schmal in 2024. I graduated in Valencia in Design and Creative Technologies, but since very early I was interested in illustration and muralism. Drawing for me is the way to explain to myself the world I live in, where I reflect my thoughts, my concerns and yearnings. Also my playground.

Text: Andrea Peregrini / Photos: Johanna Schmal and Andrea Peregrini