Abstract mastery in immersive canvases
Having just completed his fourth successful exhibition at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery, Roland Seibertz’s colours and shapes make people stop, make them look and feel uplifted.
Working from his studio in Waitoki, Roland Seibertz has always endeavoured to paint in the abstract form, where the fewer the ‘indications’, the better the result; knowing that when colour and shape harmonise well he has created a successful painting. People are attracted because, somehow, the colours speak to them. His works are soothing and relaxing both to the viewer and to Roland as the artist. That really is the point of them.
The abstract nature of his work gives him freedom, he eschews the limitations of a photo image or indication; rather he is creating abstracted versions of an interesting viewpoint. Roland doesn’t enter his studio intending to create a restful painting, that’s not what he is trying to achieve. He wants to interpret what he has seen and knows his colours will always reflect that evocative quality. Roland loves it when there is mystery or an inquisitiveness to look at in his paintings, as that’s what he is seeking to introduce.
While his works are universally soothing and restful, the creation of the work is far from it; it’s high energy and concentrated. The paintings are large, ranging from 1.2 metres square to almost 3 metres by 2 metres. The size of the canvases, stretched over wooden frames, is part of capturing the feeling of the landscape. When Roland is outside in a landscape, he is surrounded and immersed by it, and his paintings are similar. The canvas becomes the landscape, and the viewer and artist are immersed and surrounded.
Requiring a lot of energy, Roland has to work quickly using large brushes; the physical energy he uses to create transfers to energy within the painting. Using a mix of paints he is particularly fond of water- based polymer – a plastic that mixes well with different oils. He paints very thin layers, often glaze-like, which suits his type of painting and creates the kind of elusive abstract landscapes he has become known for.
Roland is inspired by the idea that there is an inner summer in all of us. It rings true for him, and his paintings reflect that joy. “There is a reservoir of light I seem to tap into when I paint. I need to fill this reservoir. On bright days I don’t wear sunglasses, I love the light to pour back into me, clear and unshaded,” says Roland.
Roland refers to the great Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue (1 January, 1956–4 January, 2008), with this passage one of great inspiration to him: “There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself, though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility, and our hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognise and receive our very presence here as a blessing.”
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