About me and why I start to painting

I am proud to say that I was born and raised in Texas. I am a country girl at heart, although I lived many years in Houston. I am one of eight children. In 1989, I married a German and moved to Germany. I worked in an American Bank, in Munich, for several years. In 2002, my mother became ill with lung cancer. Wanting to be with her in her last days, I took a leave of absence and flew back to the USA for a few months.

That year on my birthday, my mother’s condition worsened. She hadn't slept or ate for days. She was hallucinating, she was afraid and tired. She said to me; “if I fell asleep, I might not wake-up, so I can't sleep”. After eating my birthday cake with my brothers and sisters, I went back into the room where my mother was. I held her in my arms, I caressed her forehead, and I rocked her gently. In a short time,,, I felt that she decided to let go and peacefully fall asleep and passed away in my arms.

Experiencing this, I felt that I needed to escape from myself and my emotional stress. Flying back to Germany, my thoughts were on life and how precious it is... I found myself “soul-searching”. I then promised myself that I would try to live each day, as if it were my last. I would never go to sleep, without asking forgiveness from those that I have hurt and mistreated. I also promised that I would learned to forgive those who have also treated me unfairly. Wanting to run-away from myself, I spent time in the mountains, mountain-biking. Riding the European Alps, asking myself “who I was, what do I want, and what to do with my life”. It was then when I started painting. Although I never took any real painting courses, I felt that I was ready to express my feeling and let go of the sadness, mental pain and my distress.

Well this my story. My first painting was the girl on the beach, logo of this ad. When started to paint this, I didn’t sleep for 3 days, so that I could finish it. I choose this motive and called it “My Quiet Time” because my life was like the wind blowing me back and forth, seeking peace of mind. At the time, I felt exhausted from mountain biking and all my troubles and confusions were overwhelming,,, so I felt that painting this painting, I could finally rest and let go of my hurt. This painting became a part of my life.

Well, thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy my artwork.

Sonya