Discover Delmarva Arts: Petra Bernstein

SALISBURY, Md. — As the shoreline of the Wicomico River shifts throughout the summer, the surrounding marsh becomes both the subject and inspiration for artist Petra Bernstein. In her latest exhibit at the Salisbury Art Space, titled Marsh Madness, Bernstein transforms quiet wetlands into vivid landscapes using bold color and movement. She says her love for nature and living along the river has shaped her work.

“By July and August, the river marsh and shoreline are overgrown. You see the pickerelweed, marshmallow plants, and weeds starting to bend over. It’s all looking chaotic, like they’re fighting for space along the river. When I thought about a title, Marsh Madness just seemed perfect,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein prefers to leave interpretation to the viewer, especially in her more abstract pieces. “If I tell you, I take away from what you see. I want you to tell me what you see.”

“I take what I see in nature, especially along the river, and then I change it a little and make it semi-abstract,” she said, referring to her abstract pieces.

If you look closely, you’ll spot faces in some of Bernstein’s Marsh Madness paintings. “I put eyes in most of these because I want to express that nature is alive, that nature communicates with you. The river, when you really look and observe, talks back to you. The eyes are a way of showing that the river communicates with me, or whoever looks at it. The eyes are like a spirit from nature. It’s not just in the water; I think it’s everywhere.”