About me
Hi, I'm Markus.
Illustrator, watercolour artist and comic artist from Bielefeld, Germany. Born in 1971 in Ostwestfalen, self-taught — I have been painting, drawing and writing all my life. As a teenager I got my first watercolour box for Christmas. I still have both: the box and the boundless joy of painting.
In between lay a whole working life in the creative and digital industry. Since 2012 I have been living both in parallel: together with my wife Stefanie I run our agency at Siegfriedplatz in Bielefeld's Westen quarter — and in the studio I create what you find here in the shop. Art is my heart project: the place where I find lightness and joy. That is exactly why every order, every message and every piece of feedback honestly means a lot to me.
What I paint — and why
My tools are essentially pencil and watercolour, plus acrylic and ink. My subjects: stories. From the raw edges of life, where broken hearts and hope meet — as in the series “Zaubersprüche”, based on the graphic novel I created with poet Pauline Füg (“Zauberspruch für Verwundete”, an Amazon bestseller). From my city: the Sparrenburg, the Bürgerpark, the TV tower — and of course the Alm, because my heart beats for DSC Arminia Bielefeld. And from the pop culture that has kept its hold on me since the eighties.
As a comic artist I work in the school of the Ligne Claire — projects like “ONE. Picture Stories” and the graphic novel “Großväterland” grew out of it.
Affordable Art — my promise
Art should be open to everyone. That is why I paint in a price range that reflects the value of the work and still stays affordable: fair artist prices, straight from the studio, with no gallery mark-up.
- Originals are hand-signed one-of-a-kind pieces and come with a certificate of authenticity.
- Limited prints appear in a fixed edition and are never reissued.
- Posters, cards, mugs and shirts are the affordable way in — every motif starts as a handmade original.
- Commissions are the most personal: your photo, your story, your picture. Hand-painted, no print, no AI. Usually with you in 3 to 4 weeks.
Visit me in Bielefeld
Would you like to see works in the original before you decide? In my private gallery in Bielefeld's Westen quarter you can view most pieces — and talk them over with me over a coffee. Write to me: markus@freise.de