Sea - A layered landscape where land, water and preserved moss meet
Sea is one of the earliest artworks created especially for the MossArtum collection. Designed by our friend and designer Asena, it brings together sculptural relief, hand-painted surfaces and preserved moss in a landscape viewed from above.
The composition follows the meeting point between land and water. Five individually shaped layers create the changing depth of the sea, while flowing contours suggest currents, shallows and the gradual descent towards deeper water. Two shades of preserved moss form the surrounding vegetation, adding natural texture and a sense of living terrain.
Rather than representing a particular place, Sea captures a familiar feeling — the quiet experienced when looking at a coastline from above, where the boundaries between earth and water become soft and almost abstract.
The Original Artwork
The original Sea was created during the early years of MossArtum, before we had machines of our own. Its relief was constructed from five layers of 6 mm MDF. At the time, the individual shapes were CNC-cut for us and then assembled into a single composition.
Asena hand-painted each surface with acrylic colours, giving every level its own tone and depth. Victoria and I completed the landscape by adding two different shades of preserved moss.
The original artwork was purchased shortly after it was listed on Etsy and found its home in the United States.
Created Anew
The artwork shown in the photographs is the original Sea. It has already been sold, but the design is available as a made-to-order piece.
If commissioned today, Sea will be created anew in our own workshop. Each of its five layers will be cut and shaped by hand rather than CNC-cut. The surfaces will then be individually painted and the composition completed with preserved moss.
Because of the handmade process and the natural character of the moss, every new version will carry subtle variations. It will preserve the composition and spirit of the original while remaining a unique artwork in its own right.
- Dimensions
- 50 x 50 cm
- Materials
- MDF, acrylic paint and preserved moss
- Estimated production time
- 2-3 weeks
- Price
- €790
The artist's note
Inspiration
Sea belongs to a formative period in the story of MossArtum. At the time, we were still discovering how different materials could coexist within a single artwork. Painted relief gave us depth and movement; preserved moss brought the landscape to life.
Today, we would approach the same design with different hands, different tools and many more years of experience. Recreating it would not mean producing an exact copy. It would mean returning to one of our earliest ideas and allowing it to grow with us.
The story of how Sea became one of the first MossArtum artworks to travel across the Atlantic is told in Making MossArtum IV: Beyond Our Living Room.