January 1986

I got to know them when they were in the winter accommodation in an old farm near Karlsruhe, preparing the start of their new circus. They were painting the masts of the new circus tent – Gisela and Gerhard Frank. Their son Raimon was still a little boy who joked and ran all over the old farm with his cousins of the other two circuses „Hansa" and „Aldano" . I had the order to paint a decoration on a big circus car of the Circus Aldano.

The three circuses started the new season together in the new two-mast-tent of the Circus Aldoni. Only one act was presented by the Aldonis. Father, mother, son and the little pony „Liebling". A clown act: Jump or don’t jump". I had often seen this act in other circuses, but this time I felt enthusiastic and touched. Gerhard showed me his animals and soon we became friends. I was so enthusiastic that I searched and visited this circus at Legelshurst (near Offenbach) the next year and asked if I could join them. I was engaged together with my horses as a clown and as an advertising man. Before, I had painted in various circuses and there I had seen a lot of things. Stimulated and advised by famous experts I had educated my darlings at home - a small original wild-horse of the French Camargue and a little beautiful Welsh pony. At the Circus Bonanza I was invited to help the clown, the owner of the Circus Bonanza. In 1986 I made an own show with my horses and as a clown the vernissage of my exhibition in the art gallery Dewangen near Aalen.

First I painted in famous, big circuses like Knie in Switzerland, Roncalli, G.Althoff, Siemoneit-Barum, but then I discovered the fascination of small circuses, which often have problems, for example with my hometown Schwäbisch Gmünd. I fought against injustice, I wrote letters to the newspaper and I went to visit this circus in later times. So we became friends

I went to Switzerland to the Circus Knie where I got the permission to draw and to paint. I slept in my camping tent at camping places near the circus. There I got to know the famous horseman Fredy Knie sen., in those time director of the circus. His advice was the basis for my own work as an amateur with my horses for which I improvised an arena behind my house.

I went to a lot of circuses to paint my pictures and helped wherever I could. Often I slept in my own station wagon.

But now I was really a circus man!

I bought an old Ford-Transit, an old horse-car and a small used camping-car.

There was a lot of work to be done from early in the morning till late at night.

My task was the public relation: to prepare the adverts and to take them to the next place on Friday evening after the show.

We were only four persons with more than fifty animals.

But the children of the villages where we played came running to help us, because they enjoyed it.

A lot of news, a lot of adventures. Little Raimon, in those times only 12 years old, worked like an adult. Gosh, what power he had! At every place the same procedure as soon as the circus arrived: that small guy planted the big heavy nails in the ground to fix the tent. He swung the big and heavy hammer above his head – it didn’t matter if the ground was sand, asphalt or stone. And all the nice girls fell in love with him.

Then our ways divided. I went to Italy. But I was still attached to the Circus Aldoni and visited it for some days or months. Now I had no more horses, but a mule. I bought this mule when it was on sale, because it was very undisciplined (1992). I was present when it was born in 1988 in the Black Forest. I became friends with the newborn animal, we joked together and I could teach it some things. When I returned after four years, it still knew me and followed everything that I had taught it once so perfectly that I presented the animal in the evening show on the same day. We two were a real duo of clowns. It was a big success, so I continued joining the circus for another season. We were two clowns full of jokes and improvised foolishness. Chicita was name of the mule.

But then we were divided by destiny. I became old and sick.

On April 24^th in 1994 I finished my circus adventures with my last watercolour of the beautiful stallion "Carino". I understood: more than this would not be possible.

In Italy, I began to work with the computer: another adventure. In those times computers had still a very small storage capacity. It wasn’t possible to store photos or designs. When I wanted to have a drawing in the computer I had to draw with the mouse. I invented a small book and ten years later an animation on CD : Circus Aldoni.

I painted decorations on all cars for the Circus Aldoni. I didn’t use paper posters any longer, but I invented a new system of advertising: by air brush directly on hard material. I made the first one during the circus season, cutting models of heavy paper, every colour for another model for spraying with air pressure. In 1993 I created some more posters for the public relation of the Circus Aldoni.

In 2001 my friend Gerhard Frank died in a tragic railway incident.