About

I was born in Switzerland and grew up in a small town surrounded by cow pastures.
Starting at an early age I was exposed to the arts and crafts by two very creative parents. My mom sewed and knitted clothes, painted furniture, made carnival costumes, and much more.  One of my best early childhood memories was when my father took me to his work at the textile design studio. There I was able to paint with acrylic paints on large pieces of paper. I still fondly remember the smell of the paint in the studio. 

My favorite vacations as a child and teenager would take us to Florence and other European cities where I spent hours admiring and studying the artwork in museums. I still love and feel the influence of the Renaissance masters' color combinations and the beauty of the vibrant colors used back then. 

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I earned a five year degree in Graphic design at a Swiss art school. After a career as a graphic designer and later an internship working with disabled children I moved to the United States. I studied sculpture and painting at the University of New Orleans, and graduated with a painting degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder. 

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Because of the colors' vibrancy I mainly work with oil paints. For many years the topic and inspiration of my paintings has been rooted in my connection to my childhood places and to the topic of our roots. Over the last couple of years I have been taking my inspiration from collages I have made. Some of these collages contain cutouts from old children’s books, placing the little girls in dreamlike surroundings.  I love the symbolism of the animals in the paintings and the stories the paintings might inspire in the viewer. For many years now painting the crown has been a healing and meditation process for me.

My sculptures are 3-dimensional collages. In these assemblages I combine different parts that play with contrasting materials — ceramic and fiber, smooth and rough, hard and soft. Most of the pieces also combine different kinds of beings. I love the idea of blending human and animal forms, for example a piece with a human and a bird leg. We are all connected. 

I create, knit, crochet, sew, needle felt, hand build (stoneware and porcelain), and glaze all the parts. I enjoy working with clay and love glazing the ceramic pieces, and I very much enjoy the crafting aspect such as knitting and sewing. These, what are considered women's crafts, have always been a big part in my life and I am excited that I found a way to include the traditional fiber crafts into my sculptures. For fabrics I like to use repurposed antique tea towels and linens that I often dye with tea, coffee, or plant materials. I welcome the idea of including traditional crafts and materials in what we consider fine arts. Some of the inspiration I find in the carnival culture, which has been a big part in my life growing up and later when I was living in New Orleans.

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I have shown my work at different venues in the US and Switzerland. Some of my sculptures can be viewed at LeMieux Gallery in New Orleans.