“The initial inspiration for a painting is often sparked by something I see in nature. It translates into an abstract color association in my mind, more like music and sound. On canvas this leads to the initial instinctive brush strokes. Layers upon layers, this process is a back and forth conversation and dance with paint and texture. Original forms get destroyed, reborn, and become something new and unexpected, an expressive abstract story with paint, a search for depth and beauty, trying to expand out of the dimension of the canvas.”

Petra Kobayashi is a German-born, New York-based artist. She has a master’s degree in art pedagogy, literature, and theater from the J.W. Goethe university in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, and a long career as an art and creative director for magazines and brands.