When you get that inevitable ‘where are you from’ question in a conversation with a new friend, my answer has always been complicated. I am the daughter of German immigrants who settled in Ontario. My family moved every couple of years and found ourselves in varying levels of plenty and want throughout my childhood. We lived all over the United States, and even did a stint in Mexico.

The one constant was spending summers with my Oma and Opa in Canada. When they left Europe, they brought with them an artisan sensibility and a slower pace uncommon in our consumerist culture. My Oma used parachutes from World War II to make wedding dresses and found incredible beauty in working with her hands. From woodworking to embroidery, Oma and Opa knew how to do it all and taught me everything they knew. I take my passion for the simple things and a return to the earth through gardening and an artisan lifestyle from the lessons they instilled in me during my childhood.

As an artist, my medium has ranged from caricatures and live painting Gospel scenes at church to a whimsical Dia de Los Muertos skeleton trope and elaborate mosaics. I have painted realistic still life paintings and designed patterns. I have also taught the joy of art to others through classes at Vino and Van Gogh and Artisphere in Greenville, SC.

Regardless of the medium, one thing is consistent—I create art to connect with people. May the world I touch be made more beautiful by my story, and the essence of my soul that I infuse into my artwork.