Our featured star of the week, with her work illustrating life’s ups and downs, and power and the determination never to give up.
Petra Dippold-Goetz
“Live, love and fight! For what’s close to your heart with the weapons of art.”
– Petra Dippold-Goetz
“The Dance of the Whales,” Acrylic on Cardboard by Petra Dippold-Goetz – Star of the Week.
WAS THERE A PIVOTAL MOMENT WHEN YOU DECIDED TO FOLLOW YOUR PATH AS AN ARTIST?
“I never had a career as an artist in mind. The desire to make painting more than a hobby only came in 2014. One winter evening, I found a white dove in the garden, killed by a bird of prey, with Blood and feathers in the snow. This experience shook me deeply. I created several pieces of art from the remains of the bird; with this feeling in my heart, I decided to share my emotions and thoughts with the world as an artist.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK FOR US?
“My art is emotional, intuitive, evocative, passionate, and hopeful. So full of emotions and intuition, I want to celebrate the beauty of this wonderful world startlingly and passionately; I want to defend and protect this beauty from all threats, and my look to the future is hopeful.”
WHAT DOES YOUR WORK AIM TO SAY?
“My art is not uniform; the statements are different. Some works have a socio-political background; they want to warn and shake up. They want to say: we have to change the situation. It can’t go on like this. There is no planet B. Other works wish to simply express joy and happiness, gratitude for a good life, love, and friendship. But, then, there are also paintings born out of sadness and feelings of fear and loss. But my works are always powerful and hopeful. NEVER GIVE UP!”
“The Dolphins’ Kiss,” Acrylic on cardboard by Petra Dippold-Goetz.
“Where is the Sun,” Acrylic on Cardboard by Petra Dippold-Goetz.
HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR WORK FITS WITHIN SOCIETY IN OUR PRESENTTIMES?
“My art fits well into today’s society because, on the one hand, it deals with current problems, and on the other hand, it gives courage and strength to face these problems and fight for a better world.”
WHEN LOOKING BACK, WHAT ARTWORKS COME TO MINDA THAT MOST RELATE TO YOUR LIFE STORY?
“Each life has different phases, ups and downs, happiness and sadness, and good and bad times; these phases were reflected in my work. And I always faced problems and solved them. So lively, cheerful, exuberant paintings are just as much a part of my life as a few sad works.”
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?
“As an artist, I have been influenced by several great painters. I deeply admire Jackson Pollock for freeing art from all rules and regulations. I also hold Franz Kline in high esteem and the French artist Georges Mathieu. They all turned the creation process into art, not just the finished work.”
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
“When I paint, I either have a plan in mind, for example, to create a work against environmental destruction or war, and I try to visualize my statement for the viewer. Or I leave everything to my intuition and my emotions. Then, I put paint on the canvas, and everything develops itself.”
WHAT VISUAL REFERENCES DO YOU DRAW UPON IN YOUR WORK?
“When I was young, I loved French impressionism, which was beautiful and romantic. However, later I found out that life isn’t so harmonious. So, I learned to appreciate abstract expressionism, which is intense and sometimes disturbing. In my work, you can find visual references from images from the daily news, significant works by famous painters, or from a walk-in nature – everything that touches the soul.”
ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS?
“In Germany, the mood of the population is depressed. After the years marked by COVID-19, we are now dominated by fear of the energy crisis and inflation. And we feel for the victims of the war in Ukraine. Currently, I’m working on a series of abstract flowers and landscapes in intense colors to bring some light and hope into the dark time. And in March 2023, I am invited to the Tokyo Tower Art Fair. This is so exciting!”
Visit this artist’s website and discover more art by our Star of The Week!
www.petrapainting.com
