Having been born into a family of artists in Switzerland – my father was a Graphic Designer, and so was my older sister, my mother was a genius with textiles, needle and thread and everything crafty – you can see that creativity was a natural path for me. But really it was the light, the vibrant colours and untamed wilderness of Australia that truly awoke the painter in me. There is loss but also something rebellious and freeing about moving to the other side of the world and when my children were grown I began to explore this feeling on paper, canvas and finally clayboard. I wanted to break rules and experiment (and it helped to have a husband who was wonderfully enthusiastic about my creations). I use almost anything to make my marks but it is the cotton tip that is my steady companion. It will partly unravel as I work and creates such wonderful, unpredictable line work – it’s never boring! When we moved to the beautiful Hunter Valley Wine Country the lifestyle filled me with further inspiration. No matter what hardship we had to tackle as a household, it was the joyous and humorous moments that spurred my imagination. The food, the music, the nature, the love for something, anything. These days I paint at the long art table my late husband built for me and which is now covered in absolutely all sorts of things (with just enough space left to lay down my larger works!). Acrylic paint, masking fluids, tiny plinths that still need a lick of white paint, spatulas, cotton tips, brushes, sticks, glasses of water, bush treasures such as Eucalypt twigs and Banksia leaves or whatever came back home with me from walking the dog, knick-knacks that I think might be useful one day, an array of broken dishes that are waiting to be fixed… and above my head fly my husband’s model airplanes, always watching over me. I now have a grandson growing up on the property and predict this will bring many adventures and happenings my way; I look forward to capturing them – if I am quick enough!
