I was born in the town of Gumbinnen in East Prussia, which at that time was part of Germany and is now called Gusev and belongs to Russia. Most of my childhood and my early adult years I lived in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, where I was trained as a graphic designer. I lived and worked in Norway, Indonesia and Iran before settling in Australia in 1978.

I paint what I see, hear, feel and think every day and at night. I make up stories about this concoction and put it on paper and canvas. I often depict animals in my paintings because they live where I live. These creatures end up sharing the idiosyncrasies of friends, family, business associates and neighbours and they become symbols of my own fears, hopes and desires as well. Often I am surprised what looks back at me from my canvas. These accidents I love most because they might not be so accidental after all.