From Courtrooms to Colourful Studios: Petra Schott’s Journey in Creating Vibrant Abstracts Inspired by Nature, Nostalgia, and Human Relationships

Petra Schott is a German abstract painter who transitioned from a successful career in law to pursue her passion for art. In this interview, Petra shares how her experiences as a woman, her longings, and her memories shape her vibrant paintings, making her explore the themes of nostalgia, human relationships, and the intangible realm of nature. Influenced by artists like Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell, Petra’s work uses colour and abstract forms to evoke deep emotions and invite introspection. Through her story, we learn about the challenges and rewards of following one’s true calling and the profound impact it can have on creative expression.

Petra Schott, a German abstract painter, weaves her art around her everyday life as a woman, around longings and memories, thus seeking answers to basic questions of life. She embarked on a Fine Arts Degree at the Art Academy in Kassel after her second law exam, embracing her creative calling. While working as a lawyer and judge, she developed her career as a painter, seeking a delicate balance in life. Since 2014, she has bid farewell to the legal field, and her artistic journey has been captivating the attention of national and international galleries, art critics, and collectors. Influenced by Cy Twombly, Tracey Emin, Cecily Brown, Martha Jungwirth, and Joan Mitchell, her emotionally charged artwork invites viewers into an open space of imagination and introspection.

With her brush, Schott delicately composes colorful representations of nostalgia, human relationships, and the intangible realm of nature. Her works feature loosely outlined human bodies, creating an abstract language that dances between lyrical abstraction and figurative references and opens the door toward the unconscious. The artist combines her depiction of emotions with research into relationships and the human psyche, focusing on the fragility, sensitivity, and spirituality of humanity. Art curator Nell Cardozo observes, “There is a generous intimacy in Schott’s use of color that coaxes out a subtle interplay between comfort and longing. Looking into them is like looking into a dream that belongs to some common consciousness.“ Petra Schott regularly exhibits, both nationally and internationally, and is represented by galleries in the UK, the US, France, and Germany. She was awarded the Jackson’s Painting Prize for non-representational art in 2023. Her art has been published in numerous magazines, among them Create Magazine and Art Seen.

1. Petra, your switch from being a lawyer and judge to a full-time painter is so interesting. What made you leave law for art, and how did that change your work?

For a long time, I have tried to combine both working as a lawyer and judge and being a painter. However, I couldn’t spend as much time as I wanted with painting. My process was interrupted for shorter or longer periods which was painful at times. When my financial situation was consolidated, I tuned fully towards art, and I am enjoying my current life very much. My paintings are the language in which I have always wanted to express myself. They have become bolder, more generous, and lighter, and I can feel them as my authentic expression.

Through the interplay of colors, textures, and shapes, my paintings seek to unravel the complexities of the human psyche, guiding towards self-discovery and introspection.

Petra Schott

2. Artists like Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell influence your art. How have these artists shaped your style, and what do you love most about their work?

About Cy Twombly, I love his reduction, his use of white color, and his courage to use scribblings in his work. He opens up enormous spaces with his scribblings and can bring poetry, history, and mythology into his paintings. They are intense yet wide and open. He went on even though he was not successful with his exhibitions at Leo Castello in the beginning.- I love Joan Mitchell because of her capacity to put emotions into color, and her confidence in her painting. She worked and lived close to nature in France, and nature and her personal experiences for me are gloriously expressed in her paintings. When she was asked about her paintings, she said the remarkable words: “The moment you put all the bla, bla on it, it destroys the whole thing.” For me, too much speaking about painting somehow thins them out.

3. You explore themes like nostalgia, relationships, and the unconscious in your paintings. Can you tell us about a piece that captures these ideas and what it means to you?

Perhaps a good illustration is the series ‘Something Like Love.’ The whole series is about all the emotions and experiences connected to what we call ‘love.’ In the piece ‘Something like Love IX’, a large-scale work of 210x180cm, I try to capture the chaotic inner world of our love life. If you look closer into this piece, you will see allusions to human figures, faces, and encounters that have marked my life. It can be memories or present life; they all come up if I open the door for them. Sometimes, in the process, they disappear again; sometimes, they stay.

4. You’ve shown your work internationally and won awards like Jackson’s Painting Prize. How do these successes affect your art journey, and what are your future goals?

It’s wonderful, of course, when what I do is appreciated and acknowledged, and I am very grateful for this prize. However, when I am in my studio again, a new piece is challenging me in the same way as before. Perhaps over time the confidence grows that I will bring this piece to a convincing completion, but it stays a challenge again and again.

My artistic vision is to create a space where viewers can find solace and inspiration—a place where art becomes a catalyst for personal growth and transformation.

Petra Schott

5.  You also teach a workshop each year. What do you enjoy about teaching, and how is it helpful for new and aspiring artists?

I really enjoy helping other artists find their own voice and go deeper into painting, finding a new door that can be opened. It is beautiful to see happy faces around you that are one with their work!

Petra Schott’s journey from law to art is a powerful reminder of the importance of following your true passion. By fully focusing on her creative side, Petra has found a way to express her deepest emotions and experiences through her beautiful abstract paintings. Her story encourages us to pursue our own dreams, showing that it’s never too late to make a change and do what truly makes us happy. To learn more about Petra, click the following links to visit her profile.