apocalyptic beach

The village of Happisburgh (Norfolk) is  close to my home and has been in the headlines for quite a while, because its seafront is being destroyed by the sea. The sea defences don't get repaired, houses are dropping down onto the beach, sandy cliffs are crumbling away. Despite feeling a bit voyeuristic, I'm quite fascinated by the rusty creatures and apocalyptic landscape of this coastline.

unhappy marriage

My paternal grandmother got married at the age of 16 because she was pregnant. Her new husband was 19 and, as it turned out, a womanizer. He died young, leaving his young widow with 2 young kids, and she never married again.

Later in life she became quite a bitter tyrant, probably feeling deceived by life. My mom, my brothers and me were scared by her because she could get horrible tempers. A shame - because in fact she had lots of wonderful capabilities like painting, sewing and cooking.

where I live now

This has been my home for the last 10 years: a windy countryside with rough charme on the edge of  England. High skies with huge, slowly moving clouds, translucent colours and hundreds of medieval churches popping up in the fields like friendly ships. Villages on the brink of falling from the cliffs into the sea.

Beach Art

I am lucky living so close to a wonderful beach which still seems to be a forgotten corner of England. Even in the high season it's never really packed here, despite of miles of broad sandy beaches.
The sea creates it's own unique artworks, every day, using wind, tides and waste, always fascinating me.

Aren't they striking? I'm planning a series of paintings based on pictures like this.
Intimidating, but I'll give it a go.

Rebecca Crowell about her art making

I very much admire Rebecca's works of art. Unfortunately, living in Europe, it's not so easy for me taking part in one of her workshops. Anyway, this video is very inspiring and gives a good idea about her work and her process of art making.

Letter from Chicago

Assemblage of found metal scrap pieces, a friend's letter, an old photo from a flea market.

Attic Collage

A good friend gave me recently a whole load of old photos and documents she found when emptying house and attic of her mother's lover. I never met him, but from what she told me he seems to have been quite a womanizer, well travelled and educated (he was a GP), and when he died he was in his late nineties. This collage is based on some of the treasures she gave me.

Eastern Roots

My mother's family came from today's Poland, belonging to a German minority living in a part of the country called Silesia. During the 2nd World War, she and her family had to emigrate to Western Germany, and that's where she met my dad.
This mixed media work is about her family after her dad had died.  She always told me that her ancestors came from Mongolia - as in 1240 the battle of Liegnitz  (close to her birth town) with Attila the Hun had taken place, and her whole family had quite a lot of Asian features, including strong black hair, high cheekbones and very dark, beautiful eyes.

Shrine

I created this shrine by combining items reminding me of my mum, or items having belonged to her. It's not yet finished - I want to cover it with glass, having a larger frame built around it to protect it from dust (just a practical thought...)

scripture

This work combines mainly paints and inks. I was inspired by fonts and handwritings.

announcement

Material: manila envelope, acrylics, stamp, paper, inks, oil crayon