"Art is my Life" has become my mantra.
Throughout the years my works have evolved from Neo Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Abstract, Abstract Surrealism, Figurative Surrealism to Pop Art = Post Modern.
I love the freedom of experimenting with objects as coins, old torn wall papers, gold plate, newspapers etc -& my art has evolved to "out of the box" expressions."
Mixed Media allows me to create surreal expressions. I like working in Juxtaposition -"the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side," which gives me the freedom to disregard traditions or "realism". combine papers and other items with paint.-, Robert Rauschenberg called this Combine Painting. In the 90's I met him and he influenced my approach to creating my art.. My art has evolved over the last 30 years from Abstract Expressionism, Neo Expressionism, to Pop Art and Surrealism.
See my "Homage to Andy Warhol.
I studied art the highly acclaimed Oskar Kokoschka School in Salzburg, Austria. My further studies were in Trier and Munich, Germany
In 1978, I was elected a nominee for the Bavarian Ceramics Award, a grant from the German region of Swabia. I owned my first art studio- making ceramic sculptures. (see press)
In addition to my formal education, I had the opportunity to work in the studio of the well-known sculptor/painter and art professor Erich Schmidt-Unterseher for many years in Augsburg, Germany and Pierre von Moll in Arles, France. Also working as a stage painter at the Opera House in Augsburg, It was here I painted large-scale canvases as backdrops, where I found my love to large paintings.
During this time I also held workshops in "Pathway to Abstraction in Acrylics and Mixed Media ," a program I developed for Adult Education in Germany.
Traveling throughout Europe, India and the USA, I was influenced by many foreign cultures. My work is shown and collected internationally.
Extensive travel throughout Italy, Holland and India studying the various local cultures influenced my art greatly. I was mostly attracted to the intensive colors of Indian daily life and have become a continuous source of inspiration for my art.. After living in India my palette found more colorful hues, abandoning the dark tones of my earlier work.
For more then 20 years I was an educator of ceramics, painting and mixed media in the "Schwaben Akademie Irsee" and at the Community College of Augsburg in Adult Education.
After being a professional artist for over 30 years I became curator to Syzygy Gallery in Ft. Myers, FL., owner and initiator of 3 galleries and private schools of art, I also taught painting-"The Pathways to Abstraction'" in Germany, in for me a foreign language.
This was a program I developed throughout my years of practice as an artist and docent.
My art was been shown for years in BBK Augsburg (Berufsverband Bildende Kuenstler) -Professional Artist Association., in the Ecke Gallery in Augsburg, in Munich in galleries, at the Casino in Zandvoort in the Netherlands, India, Mailand, Italy, Switzerland and the USA.
In 1990 and again in 1991 I was invited by the City of Augsburg to paint the facade and the corridors of the Park School in Augsburg.
As I have been quoted by the press "Art combined with architecture is art for everyone”.
In the German museum "Oberschoenenfeld" I taught children art appreciation and painting. It was fun for me to teach children, opening up the world of art to them and watching their eyes glow with enthusiasm.
After returning to the States, I exhibited in collective shows with the late Robert Rauschenberg and in; the Alliance for the Arts, Ft. Myers, in the Gallery Arts for Act, Fort Myers, Gallery Big Arts, Sanibel, and in galleries in Naples (Florida)-for instance The Liebig Gallery.. I frequently showed my art in one-woman art shows at Gallery Syzygy and Sans Frontiers in Ft. Myers.
My art was also shown in collective show with the late Robert Rauschenberg in Florida. In; Naples, Ft. Myers, Sanibel Island, Connecticut, DC, Maryland and Delaware.
.In 2000, Roger Horné, producer and art correspondent for the news channel N-TV, filmed a documentary of my art at my studio in Fort Myers, Florida, which was broadcasted throughout Europe. My paintings have been sold internationally to private collectors in the USA, Germany, India, Italy, Spain and Holland.
While living in Germany, Rob de Koter, photographer and web designer and I founded and operated a Gallery- "Der Malerhof", which proved to be a great success showing contemporary art.
Teaching, adults and children in my own art school "Der Malerhof", was a wonderful period in my art life.
Some of my younger students have since studied art at "Der Kunstakademie Muenchen", others have advanced into studies of art therapy.
I showed an Installation of" Rain ,"- the piece was sold almost immediately, and a mixed media "Pennies From Heaven" at Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Florida-
Recently I moved my studio and home to Maryland, enjoying Delmarva on the Atlantic. - And the Atlantic is where I started my journey." I have received prizes for my mixed medias and paintings The Art Center of Ocean City, Maryland and in the Art Institute& Gallery in Salisbury, MD. Some of my work has also been shown at The Rehoboth Art Center in Rehoboth, Delaware and in Rockville, MD.
In November, 2013 I received a Prize for Love and Peace - acrylic painting - shortly thereafter for Pennies from Heaven.
Art journalists Gerald Linder of the Augsburg Allgemeine and Tom Hall of the Examiner and others have frequently written about my works throughout the years.