Meet Anne-Marie Buemann

Patricia Perales García

Born in northern Spain and now living in Copenhagen, artist Patricia Perales García moves between two worlds — the warmth and colour of her Spanish roots and the quiet, measured light of Denmark. Her work reflects this duality: tactile, emotional, and deeply personal.

Trained in costume design and with a background in fashion, Patricia’s tactile sensibility runs through both her art and daily life. Natural textures, inherited garments, and handmade details connect her Spanish roots with her Danish surroundings.

Now balancing motherhood and her studio practice, she approaches each day intuitively — finding rhythm in the interplay between light, texture, and time. Her world is one of delicate contrasts: warmth and restraint, imperfection and grace, the deeply personal made tangible through her hands.

In an unassuming industrial block in southern Copenhagen, we met Patricia in her light-filled studio — surrounded by a community of artists and makers — to talk about her work, her rhythm, and the spaces where art and life overlap.

Can you tell us a bit about your background — where you grew up and how creativity first entered your life?

I grew up in an austere home and family in a small town in northern Spain where catholic religion was very present both at home and in the nuns school I was attending my whole childhood, from when I was 3 years until I turned 18. Family is a very important part of the culture in Spain and we spent a lot of time together in my grandmother's house in the countryside during the weekends and summer. My grandparents had a cafe and bakery and I loved being there with them waking up to the smell of “hojaldre” (a traditional Spanish pastry).

Back in Burgos, my hometown, I was spending a lot of time with my maternal grandmother and her two unmarried sisters who lived together after my grandfather died. One of them, Eva, was a seamstress and I loved seeing her atelier filled with piles of fabrics. I remember going with her to every fabric shop in town and spend hours until we found the right one. She was always measuring me with her “målebånd” and making me beautiful coats in wool and velvet for the winter and fine floral cotton dresses for the summer. I was also fascinated with the scenography in films. We used to go almost every Saturday night to the cinema and I found so much joy dreaming of other places and diving into the lives and homes of the characters.

You studied costume design in Florence, then worked in the fashion industry while living in London. Does your tactile background affect the way you approach form and material in your art?

Definitely! I worked for different fashion brands for 7 years in London before getting caught up with the pace of the industry. I very much carry that with me and it unconsciously informs the way I work and the use of materials and motives.

You’ve spoken before about “inner landscapes.” What does that phrase mean to you in your practice?

It is a depiction of a state of mind, it is quite psychological. I don’t write in a diary or keep notes but I do that in my head so for me my work is a wonderful way to express and unfold all the thoughts, concerns, questions, anger and aspirations.

How do you view personal style and dressing in Spain versus Denmark?

Oh, it is so different, the way women dress in Spain versus Denmark. I have to admit I always get a notch more classy and dressed up whenever I am back home in Spain. It just feels natural, maybe because everyone else is more dressed up, maybe due to the culture and because I always end up using some of my mothers’s wardrobe pieces.

You often work with tactile, natural materials. What draws you to these, and what do they communicate for you?

I love how they feel when in touch with the skin and activate the senses, as well as their amazing history and uses throughout the centuries. I also appreciate their properties and qualities and the process behind them to differ from a man-made fiber. They also age and fall apart, and can be beautifully repaired, something I very much value. They communicate warmth, movement and freedom.

How do light and atmosphere — so distinct in both Spain and Denmark — affect the way you work or see colour?

I actually think my work is very much rooted in the light and atmosphere of Spain even though I have not been living there for 16 years! It is deep in my subconscious. I remember being small in my parents car and looking through the window when driving through Spain and being completely mesmerized by the deep and sharp colors in the landscape, the beautiful red Castillan earth and the dramatic and mysterious long sunsets and evenings on my way home, just observed from the back seat. It felt so intimate and dreamy.

You collaborate with design and furniture brands besides your own practice. How do you translate your personal style into those spaces and moments?

I find a lot of pleasure being at home, making small things for it, I could spend hours! For example, I like to collect things in nature through the seasons and decorate the house with them. I like to make small ceiling mobiles and wreaths and cover doors, floors, walls and tables with textiles! Haha, it would easily end up being a mad and eccentric apartment if it wasn't for my husband, who brings a clean and calm aesthetic but I am a total hoarder. I could keep bringing in and adding things into each room. When I moved to Denmark I discovered anthroposophy and Steiner philosophy and I find great inspiration in it and like to apply when I can at home.

What is important to you, when it comes to building your personal wardrobe?

I value having in my wardrobe something passed through generations or a garment that I have found in an antique market. I used to love spending hours looking through them when I lived in London.

How do you navigate between an atelier mindset (focused, private) and having a public presence — in art and in style?

I am not very good at this, I must admit, I am a bad “actress”. I admire how people can adjust and sharpen themselves depending on the setting and how they can navigate in different situations. I always felt I am lacking this ability, I am just myself in every given scene. Quiet, observant and sometimes a bit distracted.

Are there any rituals or habits that help you find focus or rhythm in your work?

I have absolutely no rituals or habits. I am very airy when working and have a hard time focusing or maintaining any kind of ritual either at work or at home. You will always find me flickering from one thing to another.

What do you hope the viewer (or observer) reads in your work?

I hope it is very individual to each viewer, and that it transmits and speaks to them in a very personal and intimate way. I don’t have an intention with it, but I find it very giving when close friends tell me what they feel when seeing my work.

How do you balance the flow of creative work with the demands of raising a family?

There is no flow, it is quite erratic! I just take one day at the time. Even though I definitely have less time and freedom now, which counts for all mothers, I feel that creatively it has been both powerful and intense becoming a mother, and so far it has shown me some sides of myself and life that are interesting material to have at hand in my work.

What are you learning right now — either in art or in life?

In art, I am learning/practicing to let go and be less controlled.

A heartfelt thank you to Patricia for sharing her time, space and wonderful energy with us.

You can see more of Patricia's work here.