Visiting art galleries in New York, Munich, Stuttgart, Rome, Milano, Palermo, Sydney, Auckland, Vancouver and the Louvre in Paris gave Inge Ranzinger the inspiration to start her own painting career.
“I just thought it was time to pursue something I loved,” says Inge, who becomes completely lost in her painting once she gets started.

When her children were young, Inge expressed her artistic creativity by designing and making their clothes. Later, at Camosun, the Victoria College of Art and Malaspina, she took courses in fine arts and interior design and worked with critique groups. She also took lessons from Brian Simons, “one of the best around,” who taught in Victoria and Vancouver before he moved to the Okanagan.  

Inspired by many artists, Inge finds each painting speaks to her in a different way. “I love all art,” she says.

Inge’s favourite way to paint is to take a subject and abstract it to make it softer and less realistic. “I don’t always succeed in my attempts, but when I do, it gives me great satisfaction. Abstracting a painting is simply more my style. When I wish to see realism, I look out of the window; go for a walk through parks, along the ocean.”

In her art, Inge prefers a style that shows a landscape or a flower in a new light. “When you simply paint the shape and colour of a flower, it actually appears to be a flower on canvas. Upon inspecting it closely, it will be nothing but dabs of colour. That’s the art movement started by impressionism and used in many varieties by artists around the world today.”

Although she sometimes paints onto paper and will often mix watercolours and acrylics into a painting, Inge’s preferred medium is acrylic onto canvas. To achieve a more three-dimension effect, she uses anything from plaster to seaweed and fabric to sand.
“Experimentation is half the fun of painting,” she says. “The results will often be surprising.”

Inge compares painting to any other creation. “Sometimes you create a garden and absolutely love it; other times you feel there is something missing, or you’ve used the wrong colours or perspective.” 

To make any artist feel good about the work he or she creates, the artist has to accept it as it is. “One time, when I was beachcombing, I picked up shells, seaweed and sand. Then I started working these found treasures into my painting and found the result absolutely wonderful. It was more like the pieces created the art than me trying to create it.”

Inge has displayed her art in the former Brentwood Art Gallery and the Gallery on Herald Street. She has also displayed her art at Surroundings, an antique and vintage home furniture store, where the eclectic furniture and art pieces make her feel at home. Fairholme Manor B&B displays 32 pieces of Inge’s pieces that can be viewed by the public upon request. Another 20 paintings are available for viewing upon request in her home.  

On several occasions, Inge has been commissioned to paint for clients.  “I was terrified,” she says of her first commission, but to her utter surprise, the client loved it. 

Like painting, decorating and design has been a lifetime hobby for Inge. After freely advising many friends about decorating, she decided to take a course offered through the New York School of Fine Arts. Having assisted with the creation of Mozart House and Fairholme Manor B&Bs, Inge says, “I realized this is what I wanted to do.” She has been working as an interior designer for nearly 15 years. 

Recently, Inge designed a vacation home for actress Jennifer Tilly, who purchased four of her art pieces. An Academy Award nominee who lives and works in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Tilly has performed in over 100 movies and TV shows. “Jennifer was a lot of fun to work with,” says Inge.

The key to a good design: listening to clients. Inge learns about their lifestyle, where they spend most of their time, what hobbies they have and what colours they like. She identifies the pieces they love and incorporates them into the new design, including clients in every step of the process until they have a room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a house they absolutely love.

“Nothing is more important than knowing the lifestyle of your client,” says Inge whose general philosophy about decorating is: “Keep it simple and keep it clean. Don’t fill the room with too much and keep the lines of the design clean.” Removing two items from a room will sometimes totally change the feel, open it up and make it appear more spacious.

“I am a great ‘declutterer,’” she says. “As we age, we need less of everything as it uncomplicates our lives. A bright, open room allows us to move more freely.” Instead of knick-knacks, which need dusting and clutter up the room, Inge suggests adding a bouquet of fresh flowers. “They’ll lift your spirits and make you feel special.”

Over the years, Inge has changed the interior and exterior of many buildings and homes. Whenever she thinks she might run out of jobs and have time to paint, she gets another designing referral. Instead of advertising, Inge relies on word of mouth. “I’ve been blessed with happy customers and feel very lucky and grateful for that,” she says.

For more information about Inge Ranzinger’s painting or interior design, visit www.ingeranzinger.com

DECEMBER 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND