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.

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.