74 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM steps back for a pause, she unconsciously wipes her hands, creating a Jackson Pollock effect on her jumper. “Painting on a large scale is my passion,” she describes. “It’s a dance where my entire body moves, expressing feelings and thoughts through layers and colors.” What emerges on canvas can be loosely described as floral abstractions. Enter Ramona’s studio—and the mix of big-scale completed works and canvases in progress smack you in the senses. And while the eye conceptually processes flowers, what’s being conveyed is the “timeless beauty found in the ephemeral nature of existence.” “So here’s the thing,” Ramona clarifies. “People think I paint {home & design} “Let me show you the world in my eyes…” The synth-pop beat of Depeche Mode infuses the studio space on Old County Road in San Carlos. Attired in a paint-splattered black work jumper, Ramona Stelzer twirls about, channeling the pulsing electronic energy of a band she’s loved since the ’80s. Along with her morning cappuccino, dancing plays an intrinsic role in her routine. “The music inspires me,” she explains. “My body has to move before I can start.” When she’s ready, Ramona approaches a massive blank 60 x 72 inch canvas. First comes charARTIST flower power words by SHERI BAER • photography by BRITT BRADLEY coal. With quick gestures, a sketch takes form, loopy black lines suggesting petals, filaments and stems. “I’ve been told you cannot do this, that it smudges, but I don’t care,” she says. “I use the smudge. I even go in with my hand and smudge it more.” Nearby, a full to bursting cart holds the tools of her trade. Buckets, plates and scrapers. Speckled cans of spray paint. Golden Fluid acrylics with names like pyrrole red, chromium oxide green and ultramarine blue. Small and medium brushes, but mostly large chunky ones. Ramona dips, lays down big sweeping brush strokes and dips some more. Time suspends, and when she ABOVE: Artist Ramona Stelzer with her works Seasons of Existence 2 (60” x 72”) and Seasons of Existence 1 (60” x 72”).
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