Antarctica 2020 with my son Paco. ‘Take your kid to work’ day!

Atlantic voyage 2018. King Penguins, South Georgia.

Environmental stewardship and sustainability are important to me.

My home is near the shores of beautiful Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. This northeastern arm of Lake Huron is one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world. I look after 20 acres of forest, wetlands, and wild fruit orchards. Wildlife is abundant here, such as deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, herons, porcupine, turtles and many species of birds.

My place is called ‘Catnip Acres’. We have two guardian cats named Zelda and Fledermaus. They are great time keepers and very industrious mousers. Our rooster Leopold and his flock of hens are happy looking for bugs and fertilizing the ground!

I was born and raised in a small rural town along the Rhine River in southwestern Germany. My thirst for adventure brought me to Canada at age 22. I came on my own, with a suitcase full of dreams.

I studied drawing and painting at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and taught Visual Arts at the High School level for 25 years.

One of my greatest adventures began in 2017, when I started working as Polar Shop Manager and Guide for Quark Expeditions in Antarctica. Since then, I took part in 10 voyages to this amazing continent. In 2018 my work assignment took me on an incredibly beautiful Atlantic Voyage, from Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, Ascension Island and Cape Verde. That same year, I also had the opportunity to visit China and Tibet, staying at a farmer’s house in Niru Village in the northeastern part of Shangri-La, Yunnan Province.

My life and travels influence my art in an ever changing direction, never predictable, always an adventure!