Hanbell Gallery
The mysterious past
Artist: Andreja Panič Omahn
Based in Lukovica, Slovenia
I was out for a walk one day and was struck by the idea of using earth as a primary colour for my next series of paintings. I started the painting process by extracting pigments from my immediate surroundings. In all the pictures, the primary and predominant colours stem from the earth right next to our house.
Using low and high relief, I wanted to add extra depth to the paintings, a concept of spaciousness, and make it possible to touch the matter. With earthy sepia and a vignette, I wanted to add an antique tone to my paintings.
The staged stone architecture elements are reminiscent of the Middle Ages.
The stone is a recurring element: cold, without a soul (life), yet a major part of nature.
Nature is not only staged in the paintings themselves but is also part of the paintings. With a passion for architecture, I follow pure geometric shapes (lines), strict perspective construction with a clear, precise, almost incised line. In all the paintings there is a mysterious touch of dark shadows, which stimulates the observer's imagination and invites them into its depth.
Details of "Crack in the time" and "Mighty vault"
About the
Artist
Artist: Andreja Panič Omahn
Based in Lukovica, Slovenia
Instagram: @andreja.panic.omahna.art
My biggest idol is my father (Dušan Panič) , who draws breathtakingly realistic portraits as a self-taught artist. His portraits radiate a special energy. He used to work as a stonecutter and would create wonderful things out of stone that left no one indifferent. As a little girl, I secretly observed him in his creative process and learned from him.
In 1994 I enrolled at the Enrico e Umberto Nordio Institute of Art in Trieste, Italy, where, thanks to the professors, I gained an important starting point to my further education in the field of art. Under the guidance of Professor Livio Schiozi, I studied at the Painting and Decoration department and successfully graduated in 2001. In the same year I moved to Florence and attended lectures by Andrea Granchi at Accademia di Belle Arti. I quickly found inspiration in this new environment (Flying architecture, Glass sculptures and Veils of consciousness / Pajčolanke) and completed four years of graduate studies. I also completed pedagogical-andragogical education at the Faculty of Education in Maribor, while living and working in Ptuj. I currently live and work in Lukovica near Domžale, where I also started a family. In addition to my father, I look up to Magritte, Dali and Escher.
The idea of this new series lingered in me for a long time. During the epidemic of COVID-19, I finally had enough time to, after a long break, dedicate myself to art again. My father and I had our first joint exhibition (March 2021), where I presented for the first time my new series of paintings "Mysterious Past."
Life is constantly changing and shaping us, like a stone that gets rounder and transforms over time, but the essence of it remains. In a similar way I retain certain views and principles. The stone represents cold strength that is not easily destroyed, even though, over time, it turns into sand or rubble. This coldness becomes warmth when we build a home out of stone and light shines into it. I want to leave a mark; I want a "part" of me, my art – something timeless, to remain after me.