Petra Ann Benach

Looking for more?

You can watch my Creative Mornings talk and check out some other work - Foundations, Installations and ARTsy WORDS. Follow me on social media channels for current work in process and musings. But to really know me you have to ask me about my grandmother, Sophie Forsman.

Petra makes art.

My artistic process is a delicate dance between intention and chance, as I allow the materials to guide me in the creation of my pieces. The texture of the paint, the way it flows and dries, becomes a major player in the story I am telling with each piece. The result is a rich tapestry of color and texture that invites the viewer on a journey through the imagination.

The way I create has always been organic and emotive. As I work, I feel that I am secondary and that my job is to follow the rhythm and patterns that emerge in each piece. It is a process that brings me peace and conflict and incredible joy.

I am a primarily self-taught artist and have been painting since I was 13. Originally from California, I attended UCSC as a Math major while taking classes in art, creative writing, anthropology and women studies

Sonoma State University is where I finished my degree in Humanistic Psychology with an emphasis in Art Therapy. After graduating I moved to San Francisco and began studying painting with artist Glenn Hirsh at UC Berkeley. In 2002 I rented my first studio space in Dog Patch while working as an accounting consultant.

In 2011 we relocated to Amsterdam in 2011 and her current studio space is located at ACTA Broedplaats. If you're in town, contact me for a visit.