The natural abstraction of Mareike Böhmer

Mareike Böhmer is a German artist in love with nature photography and abstract graphics. She is strongly influenced by the Scandinavian style and the natural world around her. Her graphic work combines minimalism, abstract forms, textures and colours.

 

Hi Mareike! Welcome to Nomadart. Here's the first question... How did you discover that you wanted to dedicate yourself to painting and not, for example, to accountancy or juggling?

I have always lacked the talent for both accounting and juggling, but I enjoyed painting at school and designing posters for school parties. After a few detours I ended up back into designing, first only digitally with Photoshop, then I painted my own textures for graphics and found more and more joy in it.

Do you have a ritual before you start painting, a coffee, a special playlist or do you simply invoke the muse of creativity?

My morning coffee is part of my daily ritual, not just when I want to paint... I also like listening to music while I'm being creative, but sometimes I also enjoy the total silence. Then painting becomes my meditation.

 

There is a lot of energy in your work, what inspires you to keep that sense of vitality in each artwork?

The impression is probably created by the use of a few brush strokes, or by the fact that many images are supplemented with thin organic lines, which can sometimes look like doodles. I just like this interplay of color areas, textures and these lines, that's just my style.

Speaking of inspiration, is there a film, book or song that has directly influenced any of your paintings?

There isn't a song or film that immediately comes to mind. I'm not a classic reader either, I rather like looking at pictures. But what always fascinates me is light and the combination of colors, even in films. I immediately thought of “Pride and Prejudice,” I love everything about it. But I also really like graphic compositions, such as in the film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty“.

 

Your paintings convey a very positive atmosphere, how do you get your personal emotions reflected in your art?

I'm happy that my pictures radiate something positive, even if I paint the pictures when I'm feeling good but also when I'm feeling bad... maybe the effect comes from the fact that I often feel better after painting than I did before.

Are there any unusual artistic techniques you have tried that have pleasantly surprised you with the results?

I'm still finding my way and style with painting and like to try out things - for example, not painting with classic brushes, but with pieces of cardboard or with sponges. This allows even more unusual and surprising effects to be achieved when applying paint.

If your paintings had a soundtrack, what kind of music do you think would be the perfect soundtrack to accompany them?

I think my pictures are sometimes very different, just like my taste in music is very broad. I like quiet and thoughtful singer-songwriter music just as much as harder rock music - depending on my mood.

And to close, can you share any exciting future projects or something that is bubbling in your studio at the moment?

I would also like to sell my originals in the future. I would also like to help other people here in my area to make their homes more beautiful with art. I have done that before, and it’s really a beautiful task putting together artworks for special places and preferences. Otherwise, projects and collaborations often arise spontaneously and I'm curious about everything that comes.

 

Any funny or strange anecdotes that happened while you were working on a piece?

There is also a lot of failure in my painting. I reject a lot and have probably painted over a canvas 10 times. Often the simplest and spontaneous paintings are the ones that I like best and that stay with me. And of course accidents happen sometimes, especially if you're a bit chaotic, like me.