Artist Anne Siems is inspired by the landscapes of her childhood in Germany. “I long for the lovely, calm un-dramatic areas around Berlin – rolling hills, sandy soil, mixed forest, long country roads lined by grand oaks or poplars, lakes, garden snakes, frogs, storks and cranes.”
Using her remembered landscape as background, Siems creates narrative paintings with a distinct time and place – but it is impossible to firmly discern when or where that place is. Her work can be described as ancient, current, make-believe or post-apocalyptic. Often using a child-like figure as the centerpiece of a painting, her figures are dressed in transparent clothing and surrounded by forest friends.
Summing up her work, Siems says: “At present, I continue with my interest in the human figure and the attributes that surround it. These attributes reflect something about the being without giving a specific narrative. Ideas about life and death, sensuality, sexuality, nature, experiences in the realm of dreams, psyche and spirit are my ongoing topic. A lot of inspiration for these pieces stem from my ongoing love for the art of the European Masters, Early American Folk Art, as well as vintage and modern photography.”