I grew up in East Germany and escaped just a day before the Berlin Wall went up.  Together with my Diplomat husband I have lived, studied and exhibited extensively overseas. My husband and I have recently moved from Seattle to make our home again in Virginia. 

From drawings to working with oils, acrylics and painting on porcelain and silk, I now concentrate on watercolors, depicting mostly motives of nature.  Initiating my art studies in the early 80’s with Prof. Tan Yee Hong at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, I have later continued with Prof. August Ohm in Hamburg, Germany.  Several workshops in Germany and Italy, and with Linda Doll, Michelle Tremaine, Skip Lawrence and Paul Jackson in the U.S., helped me develop my own style. 

I have had solo exhibitions in Hamburg, Berlin and Potsdam, Germany; Milan, Italy; Warrenton, Virginia; Seattle and Everett, Washington.  My paintings have been juried into Exhibitions at the Tacoma Museum of Art, the National Watercolor Society (NWS) and International Exhibitions of the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS), California Watercolor Association (CWA), Collective Visions Gallery (CVG) and the Shenzhen (China) International Watercolor Biennial.  My works can be found in private collections in many countries.  I am a member of NWS and Signature Member of NWWS and CWA. I sign my paintings with my maiden name “ZYMOLKA”

Nature, color, details and music inspire my paintings, which can turn out to be realistic, abstract, whimsical or all of it at once.  Whatever the style, I like to portray the beauty of all of nature’s creatures and creations, real or imagined, big or small, to remind us of the important part each of them contribute to the existence and preservation of our environment.  I usually start with a random color scheme and then let my feelings, imagination and intuition, or even the shape of clouds, guide me to a finished paining.  My favorite time of day is when I am painting while listening to classical music and then I always feel happy and at peace.  I hope looking at my paintings helps brighten your day too and makes you smile.