Jana Albrecht is an artist who lives and works in Wiesbaden with a long tradition in her own visual world. Her partly large-scale, abstract landscapes are created from overlapping layers of different materials and consistencies. Sensory impressions, light moods, structures and colour spaces overwrite each other and open up different visual layers.
She was born in 1970 in Gross-Gerau and lives and works in Wiesbaden. Albrecht studied theater science, art history and cultural anthropology at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. In 1993 she trained as a theater painter at the Hessian State Theater Wiesbaden and graduated as a certified theater painter. Albrecht currently works as a theater painter, freelance artist, and as a member of Bund bildender Künstler.
2025 Interview
For three decades, Jana Albrecht has been immersed in the world of visual creation, evolving from scene painting in the theater to producing evocative abstract landscapes on canvas. Living in Wiesbaden, Germany, Albrecht began her career in theater, exploring murals and commissions while building a network that later supported her transition to a full-time artist. “Theater gave me the opportunity to learn about different materials,” she says, reflecting on how those early years shaped her artistic approach.
Her landscapes, while abstract, are deeply connected to the essence of nature. Albrecht’s work is a spiritual interpretation of the land, where every element—whether visible or not—plays a part in the greater whole. For her, the “spirit of the landscape” isn’t tied to a specific place but to a connection with nature’s energy. “It’s a belief in the interconnectedness of everything around us,” she explains, referencing a nature-based philosophy that emphasizes harmony with the seasons and the land. This connection underpins her work, transforming her canvases into meditative spaces that evoke the serenity and power of the natural world.
Albrecht’s creative process is rooted in intuition. “I start with color, and let the process unfold from there. It’s an adventure,” she says, explaining how she approaches each piece without a fixed subject or plan. Instead, she allows the painting to guide her, building up layers of mixed media, oils, and other materials that create tension and depth. This free-flowing process often leads to an evolving image, with Albrecht revisiting older works and painting over them to build something new. “The painting builds itself,” she says. “I try to listen to what it needs.”
Color plays a central role in her work. Albrecht is drawn to contrasts and layers, selecting hues that interact with one another to create depth and luminosity. Her tactile approach to painting—using tools like palette knives, towels, and her hands—gives her canvases a sculptural quality. "The work is always evolving," she shares. "I love when the painting gets to dry for a few months; it gives me time to think and rework it.”
While her landscapes are abstract, Albrecht avoids figures or recognizable elements in order to allow the viewer to engage with the space itself—unencumbered by human references. “I want people to feel something when they look at the work—not a specific thing, but a sense of peace, of connection to something larger,” she says. Her goal is to evoke a spirit of the landscape that transcends specific locations, encouraging a personal connection to nature’s quiet power.
This philosophy is not just an aesthetic choice, but a guiding force in her life and work. Influenced by artists like Goya, Vermeer, and Gerhard Richter, as well as contemporary figures like Katharina Grosse and Peter Doig, Albrecht’s approach is as much about the process as it is about the final image. For her, the act of creating is as integral as the result—each layer, each decision, is part of a larger journey toward capturing the ethos of the land.
“An older artist once told me to calm down and slow down in my process,” she recalls. “At the time, I threw away a lot of work I didn’t like, but now I layer over old paintings. It’s about embracing the process, not rushing it.” This advice has shaped her work, helping her find a balance between patience and spontaneity, and reinforcing her belief in the beauty of nature’s constant evolution.
Through her abstract landscapes, Albrecht invites us to experience nature not as a static image, but as a living, breathing being. Her work speaks to the harmony of the natural world, reminding us of the quiet, yet profound, beauty found in the landscapes around us.
Interview by Lauren Boysa