expressionistisch seapanels

photo panels 1,3x3,9ft

Artist Statement

The Sea Within

The sea has become an essential part of my life.

I swim in the sea every day, throughout the year — in summer and in winter. What began as a physical experience gradually became a way of living. Being immersed in the water has changed my life in a positive way and has become a daily ritual, a source of energy, freedom and contemplation.

I take my photographs from within this experience. Using a waterproof camera, I photograph while swimming among the waves, beneath and at the surface of the sea. These are not photographs of the sea seen from the shore. They are images made from within it.

The original photographs are the starting point for a process of transformation. Through colour, movement, layering and digital manipulation, I bring out forms and structures that are present in the water but are often invisible to the naked eye. The photographic image gradually moves away from representation and becomes something more abstract — sometimes almost painterly.

For me, the resulting works are not simply images of a landscape. They are interpretations of an experience: the movement of the water, light passing through it, the sensation of being surrounded by it, and the constant changes that occur beneath the surface.

The strongly horizontal and vertical formats are a conscious part of my work. I choose these proportions for their visual strength and their relationship to architecture and contemporary interiors. The elongated format allows the image to become an independent presence on the wall, while inviting the viewer to move through the work with the eye.

Each photograph therefore begins with a real physical experience in the sea, but ends somewhere between photography, abstraction and painting.

The sea is where the images begin. The transformation is where they become my work.