Statement
Conscious of the constant change of the visual and literal world, I turn to nature to express my thoughts in its language. Petals, twigs, found wood are parts of a once lived experience with traces of that process. Nature’s used material reports of having been part of a bigger world. In my compositions I try to give nature’s components an ‘afterlife’, rearranging them on paper - with pigments, graphite, ink, cold wax etc., and in a similar way erecting found wood pieces, adoring their forms that have been shaped by water, wind or fire and giving them a ‘new skin’. They now exist as artifacts but have been part of nature’s forces. In blending nature with culture I point to its inherent unity. In my photos in which I present myself as photographer, my individuality also coalesces with the world that surrounds me. Every part, every piece, every thing presents itself to the world and at the same time co-exists with it. Pictures and written texts are tools of understanding that process that is constantly changing and cannot be fully perceived. We always belong to the world that we are part of. CV
I was born in the northern part of the Black Forest in Germany. At the University of Heidelberg, I first studied pedagogy and psychology, and later I obtained a PhD in art history. After moving to Davis, California, I mainly cared for my family before taking art classes with Sara Post, Theodora Varnay Jones and Chelsea Herman. In 2017 I had my first solo exhibition ‘Encounters’ at Art 26 in Davis, and another solo exhibition in 2018 ‘Outlook from Inside’ at the Davis Art Center. In 2022 I participated in the '35 by 35' exhibition at the Arts Benicia Gallery in Benicia, CA and the 'Interwoven' group exhibition at the Pence Gallery in Davis, CA. Some of my sculptural pieces are included in Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin’s book “Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts and Conversations,” Squeegee Press 2016. |