“I typically use brilliant, vigorous colors and strong contrasts in my paintings. Clear shapes and repetitive elements give a unique rhythm to my paintings, unifying and separating fore- and background at the same time. The contours of the subject remain mostly naturalistic. Then I work intuitively with shapes and colors and decide which colors should rise and which forms be focused on. The vivid colors emanate a joy of life and power. Strong contrasts create tension and energy but the final work is a harmonious whole. In my paintings, each fragmented part helps create the meaningful whole. I think this is symbolic of our lives. All of our perception is partial and fragmented but we can still create a meaningful whole.” Beate