From camera specialist to artist
Ueli Käser already enjoyed drawing as a child. During his school years, however, his focus was more on geometry and precise drawings. The artist, who grew up in Sagogn and now lives in Ottenbach in the canton of Zurich, only discovered his passion for photorealistic animal portraits a few years ago. Since last year, he has been living entirely from his art. Last week, FMR visited the artist while he was setting up an exhibition in Heimberg in the canton of Bern.
Ueli Käser's animal portraits show Helga the otter, Diego the rhinoceros, Mathilda the sheep and Erik the moose - all painted in white on a black background with just one brush. “I have a list of around 100 names that I want to use for my future animal portraits,” explains Ueli Käser when asked how many more animals he wants to paint. So far, he has painted around 130 animals and plans to add a few more, including some particularly cute motifs. Sometimes he decides which animal to paint based on a name, and sometimes the picture is created before he looks for the right name on his list of names. He also works on customer request: “Most often, dog owners ask if I can paint their beloved animal. But if I paint too many dogs in a row, I need a bit of variety in between - so sometimes a rabbit or a bear comes in between.”
From photography to painting
Ueli Käser grew up in Sagogn, completed his training in a photo store in Ilanz and then moved to Zurich, where he worked in various positions in the electronics and photography industry. Most recently he worked as a specialist for Hasselblad cameras. Occasionally, he still assists at large photo shoots or photographs smaller projects himself: “I do this so as not to lose touch with the photography scene and to stay technically up to date,” says Käser, who has now established himself as a freelance artist.
Art as a necessity
How did a camera specialist become an artist who makes a living from his photorealistic animal pictures? “When I moved to Zurich, I lived in a shared flat. The walls were bare, so a friend and I decided to paint a few pictures ourselves. We bought three canvases and lots of paint,” recalls Käser of his first attempts at painting. The pictures had a red background with black lines. “I really enjoyed the painting process. But I wasn't convinced by abstract art.” Since then, he has picked up brushes and paint again and again. Although he enjoyed painting, he was not satisfied with the results for a long time: “In the beginning, I gave many of my paintings away to friends and relatives because I didn't think they were good enough to ask for money.”
Inspiration, support and the energy of love
After these first steps into painting, Ueli Käser changed jobs and hardly had any time left for his hobby. It was only during the coronavirus period, when he was working reduced hours, that he picked up his brushes and paints again. Over time, his style developed further. “I realized that animals with expressive faces are exactly my style. As lighting was already very important to me in photography, I also wanted to work with light and shadow in my paintings,” says Käser. His art received a special boost from love: “My girlfriend supported and encouraged me right from the start.” In addition, the energy of a young love was like a “booster” for his art.
His former boss also supported him: “He allowed me to gradually reduce my working hours so that I could build up my art business.” Thanks to forward-looking planning, Käser was able to set aside and invest the initial income from his art sales. “Today, I could live on it for around a year without selling a single painting.” But he doesn't have this worry: “After every exhibition, I realize that I actually have too few originals to show.”
Originals, limited edition prints and postcards
In addition to his original paintings, which cost between 1,190 and 30,000 francs, Ueli Käser also offers limited edition prints and postcards of his works. “The prices of my originals depend on the size, amount of work and demand. A picture measuring 80 x 100 cm takes about two to three weeks.” He never thought he would make such a good living from his art. Although he often works more than 100%, he can manage his own time and that means much less stress than when he was an employee.
A particular milestone in his career as an artist was the opening of his own gallery in an old cowshed in Ottenbach. Käser renovated and furnished the space himself. His works have been hanging there since 2021, on the walls where cows once stood. However, in order to exhibit more than just in the gallery, he is regularly represented at various art events - including currently in Heimberg, where his works are presented together with wooden sculptures by chainsaw artist Christoph Wyttenbach.
The exhibition of the two artists runs until June 7 in the art department of the Livique furniture store in Heimberg. On April 19 and May 10, the artists will be demonstrating live how a wooden figure is carved and painted.