Having moved from Germany to London in 1987 I took advantage of the city's creative opportunities and did my BA in sculptural Metalwork and Silversmithing in Camberwell College of Art, then part of the 'London Institute'.
Etching metal for surface decoration, I then became interested in etching for print making.
Etching metal for surface decoration, I then became interested in etching for print making.
Printmaking has been my passion for many years. No other medium allows such variety of possibilities to create images. Some of these prints are on the 'Illustrations' page.
My first love though is drawing and this is where my inspiration lies, often drawing in London's many Museums.
I am forever fascinated by anthropological objects created by different cultures in different times in history. Whether it is Egyptian gods in pyramid graves,Catholic Ex Voto offerings or Hindu sculptures protecting the entrance of temples, I love the visual manifestation of humans trying to connect with an invisible imagined world.
I am fascinated by the strangeness of these objects. An arm made from silver surrounded by floral decorations to give thanks for healing an injury, wooden half human half animal gods striding ahead to protect the dead in Egyptian graves, feather head dresses putting the wearer into contact with the ancestors who in return protect the community....
Some of these objects are depicted on my sketchbook page.
Spells and Wishes
'Spells and Wishes' is an installation of over 250 clay vessels (and growing) containing hundreds of 'spells' and wishes. Each time they are exhibited, visitors are invited to write a wish on a small paper scroll and place it in one of the pots.
The inspiration came from a small object I sketched in the British Museum's exhibition 'The Roman in Egypt'. It was a small wax figure of two lovers and was accompanied by a spell calling on the Egyptian God Osiris for love to be reciprocated.
These spells were found in small vessels placed in cemeteries where the spirits of the ancestors were hoped to help with these wishes, this was a Greek custom.
I was fascinated by the simplicity and also by the merging of cultures at the time.
My first pots were made during a workshop in 'Camp One Cafe' Berlin, an organisation run by people with a refugee background. The participants were a diverse group of people, men, women and children, some with learning disabilities, some with a refugee background, all Berliners. The wishes I invited them to place in the pots they made are probably very similar. The pots made and all subsequent ones are part of the installation.
I carried on the project in London, making pots myself as well as making them with people and exhibiting them for the first time in May 2018.
Each time they are exhibited I add another 100 or more to have space for more scrolls of paper and the installation is now containing approximately 500 wishes, all private and never seen by anyone apart from the person writing them.
In 2019 they became part of the Waltham Forest 'London Borough of Culture' events and were exhibited in it's headquarters No1 Hoe Street, again as a participatory event.