Artist Petra Seiz is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of these images. From the project ‘The Underwater Collection’. To see Petra’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Artist’s Statement

The collection of oil paintings EMERSION belongs to a project called HIDEAWAY where photographs, mixed media works and oil paintings are combined into one theme: Finding peace in mental balance. Therefore, the presented artwork must be seen in a broader context.

Our present time is characterized by fears and worries. Triggered by pandemic, climate change, wars, and anxieties about the future, but also due to everyday obligations and the expectations of others, many feel the urge to escape these fears, physically or mentally, to hide away, or simply to ‘disappear’.

The artworks of HIDEAWAY visualize this withdrawal from society into self-isolation and solitude from various perspectives and convey to the viewer different emotional states of the person who is withdrawing. The element of water, based on the meaning of purification derived from Christian art, has the significance of shedding and freeing oneself from the burdens of the soul and the emotional baggage.

The photographs of SUBAQUEOUS GRACE witness the immersion into the place of retreat, the diving-in, and display turbulence of the water as a symbol for the difficulties of life.

The semi-abstract photographs of SHALLOW shift the viewer’s perspective and illustrate the emotional distance to the viewer as he only recognizes the silhouette of the ‘disappeared’ individual.

The mixed-media artworks of SPIRIT OF EPHEMERALITY radiate the peace and tranquility that one hopes to find in the retreat. Time seems to stand still in the weightlessness of the water as an expression of carefree abandon and lightheartedness.

The fleeting nature of the moment is predetermined. The return to reality is unavoidable if one wants to participate in social life again, and my collection of oil paintings EMERSION depicts this action: the emergence as a sign of a new beginning. The observer follows this process from the perspective of the place of retreat and sees the reality above the water’s surface only abstractly. The one emerging, however, is already confronted with reality. Mirroring and reflections in the paintings are a symbol of self-reflection in seclusion reinforced by the interplay of light and shadow.

The dominant colors of the artworks are blue-green and red. In color psychology blue-green controls and heals emotions and creates emotional balance. It inspires our spirit and alleviates feelings of loneliness. Red, on the other hand, stands for powerful energy, self-confidence and assertiveness. In this context it conveys a new beginning after spiritual healing.

Particularly the canvases with longer dimensions cause the observer to view the image with a vertical eye movement, allowing him to experience the momentum of appearance and to be emotionally involved in the process.

BIO 

I am German and Luxemburgish, and I currently reside with my family in Luxembourg and France after having lived in different countries for many years. Over the time I have attended various art courses, but it wasn’t until the end of 2022 that I decided to give art more time and space in my life. Therefore, I consider myself still at the beginning of my artistic career and journey. 

Two art forms that particularly appeal to me are oil painting and creative photography. In my collections, these art forms either stand on their own or they interact and are part of the development process of creating a work of mixed media art.

All images and text © Petra Seiz