The Artists Journey
I had a strong love for all kind of animals since I was a little child, and I began to draw insects, frogs, birds and mammals since I could hold a pencil.
I grew up on an old farm in East Germany where my grandparents’ kept sheep and rabbits. As a teenager I had a dog, several cats, as well as many chickens and ducks. I was also interested in aquaristic and I built my own pond and water filter systems. So, I was always influenced by the different animals and pets around me. They were a part of my family.
I also remember when I was a child, I would chase lizards in our garden and collect snails and bugs to draw them on paper. Later my pet chickens became a favorite subject and I loved to portray each hen and rooster of the flock. From there it went on and later I would do pet portraits for friends and family.
I started to draw with pastel pencils and acrylic colors during my school time when I was introduced to these techniques in art class. I soon bought my own colors and paper to use it at home. Over the years other tools and materials were added, like colored pencils and Scratchboard.
Becoming a young adult my interest to observe and paint wild animals became stronger and I found out more about the excising art scene by looking in internet art communities.
From there my journey began with the aim to become the best wildlife painter that was possible to be. I was eager to
learn and build up my skills, shooting for that star on the horizon.”
I became especially inspired by the art of the famous Canadian painter Robert Bateman and his dedication to environmental education. It fueled my long-lasted dream to travel to North America to experience the nature and animals at a different continent.
But in the meantime, I went on finishing my study time in Germany with university degrees B.Sc in Biotechnology and M.Sc in Biology graduating at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg.
Although I wasn’t sure about a career in my life within any of these study-fields I was serious about my free time spent improving my skills as an artist.
However, it wasn’t until my late twenties’ when I submitted artwork to an exhibition. Encouraged by my first mentor, the Dutch bird painter Léon van der Linden it was the visit of Europe’s (former) largest wildlife art exhibition ‘Wild in de Natuur’ in Enschede (NL) which opened a new world for me as a young artist, leading my steps into the international wildlife-art scene.
One year later, influenced by the avian encounters at Heligoland, I submitted for the first-time artworks to the exhibition ‘Modern Bird Paintings’ in Germany. The show is dedicated to bird art and held biannually at the museum of natural history in Halberstadt. In this show as a 28 years old debuting artist, I was named ‘Best Bird Painter Germanys’ judged with the ‘Silver Owl’ award in 2013.