1. My Education & Work Experience
   

In 1954, I was born in small village near Hamburg, Germany.  I earned my Abitur (German school degree, which allows to study at Universities) and studied German and English at Hamburg’s University for five years.

After working as nurse help for two years, I finished my education as Physical Therapist in 1989 and worked for ten years as physical therapist. I studied Social Work at the University of Applied Science in Hamburg, Germany and earned my diploma in 1999. Shortly after finishing my education as social worker, I immigrated to the United States and married the Blackfeet artist Darrell Norman.

From 1999 on  I have been managing the Lodgepole Gallery & Tipi Village in Browning, Montana, which is a Blackfeet fine art gallery and a tipi Bed & Breakfast. Since 2003 I been photographing art work for the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning for their brochures. In 2007 I graduated from the Montana State University in Great Falls in arts marketing (Creative Arts Enterprise)

1. About my Art
   

Fascinated by North-American landscapes and its aboriginal cultures, I have started photographing in 1996 after painting has been my only practiced art form. I have been introduced to painting in an art therapy group, which I have attended for three years, and I am an autodidact in photography. Painting has continued to influence the way I compose photographs and receive objects in their setting of lights.

My latest work is a combination of photography, digital art and painting with topics deriving from Blackfeet images and Montana landscapes. My goal is to represent the beauty of ancient symbols in a modern form in order to show their timeless and archetypical character. For example, I start with a par fleche and transform it into a modern European style painting. With my photos I create digital collages for printing and additional painting. The Computer functions as transmitter in this process.

Paleolithic European art has been the stepping stone for studying traditional Blackfeet art, such as hide and tipi paintings or petroglyphs. With the use of these ancient symbols I want to refer back to the people who created them. With my current work I explore artistically the realm of cross cultural experience between being a German gallery owner living in Blackfeet Country.