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The best way to describe me is that I am an environmental fighter and that I feel deeply sorry for each plant or animal disappearing from our planet. Turkey, where I am living for more than 40 years, possesses one of the richest flora in Europe; but unfortunately due to lack of interest, wrong building policy, etc, rare flowers are exterminated day by day. This fact has influence on my art; in each of my exhibitions I try to emphasize this problem. One of my exhibition “Endangered Beauty” was on endemic flowers in Turkey; one on wild orchids, because Turkey possesses most of wild orchids in Europe; one on tulips – the first tulip bulb was taken from Turkey to Europe; another exhibition was on cactuses which I saw during my stay in the deserts of Mexico. I try to paint these small creatures with all their details like filaments, wrinkles, colour shades in large dimensions in order to show their real beauty; for me each flower is an unique example of harmony in shape and colours. Photos are a source of inspiration for my work. I had the big chance to get to know one of Turkey’s best documentary photographer and film maker. Mr. Fatih Orbay, who kindly supports me in my work. My favorite painters are of course Georgia O’ Keeffe and Frida Kahlo.
I was born in Eastern Germany, we fled then to Western Germany and due to the job of my father – an engineer – I spent several years in Mexico and Luxembourg. I became a foreign correspondent, worked two years in Spain and afterwards in Istanbul was I met my husband and stayed there. I began relatively late with arts. When my husband was president of our Rotary Club, we decided to show Turkey from her intellectual side, and hence organized an exhibition with works of the assistants teaching at The Academy of Fine Arts at The Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul. This exhibition was then shown in Frankfurt and Vienna. I had been in charge of this organization and was so thrilled myself, that I could never again get rid of Fine Arts. I was a guest student at said University and took private lessons from two teachers. I worked hard and open my first solo exhibition after four years of studying. In the meantime I had 8 solo and 15 group exhibitions.
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