Petra Rös-Nickel was born 1963 in Wathlingen near Celle, Germany. Her abstract paintings break completely new ground through form and expression.

Playful, free forms and the textural surfaces develop into compositional constructions that reference the geometric and organic elements of nineteen-fifties and nineteen-sixties European textile and surface designs. Her connection to this era of modernism highlights a return to a rather retro style while also adapting these inspirational elements into her very own style.

After studying fashion design at the professional school for clothing in Bremen, 1980, Petra Rös-Nickel changed her field of study to architecture in Eckernförde, 1982. Preferring the creative aspects of the studies to the technical ones, the artist developed the basics of her painting, never denying the roots of applied design and soon ending in a refreshing, distinctive style.

Since Petra Rös-Nickel shapes her painting into compositional subjects, her work can be put into different visual categories such as “patchwork”, “windows” and “oscillating lines”. As much as the groups may differ in their aesthetic expression, the artist‘s distinctive compositional characteristics and methods remain cohesive.

Working in both an additive and reductive process, Petra Rös-Nickel builds and removes layers from the surface of each canvas to present panes of color that appear in both the foreground and background. This manipulation of space through color challenges the viewer’s perception of depth. These details or scratchings and rubbings lead to various elements of tension, such as “patchwork” or harmonious-contemplative forms (“windows”). Mostly established on large-sized tables of colors and directed towards one color world, the artist‘s oil paintings develop an energetic impact on the space they‘re displayed in, conveying her joy of life and self-confidence.