Painting on silk has been my passion for as long as I can remember.

All of the items offered by AnnetteBrooklyn begin as paintings on silk. Some are available as one-of-a-kind originals. Others are scanned and reproduced as scarves, pillows, or other textile works.

Although my paintings may reflect who I am at the moment, they are also nourished by the past.

I was raised in Stuttgart, Germany. It was post-war and my parents struggled, but I felt I had everything I needed.

I grew up watching and admiring my mother “making things”. She sewed clothes for me, my sister, and for Karin, my favorite doll. She knitted, crocheted, made floor rugs and more. I loved to sit by her as she created, watching her fingers work the thread, the yarn and the fabrics. I found it all very calming and inspiring.

My father and I shared a love of reading the adventure stories of Karl May, among other authors. My head was full of Arabian nights, the cowboys and Indians of the American West, the Brothers Grimm, Max and Moritz and Struwwelpeter.

In high school my art teacher, Sister Sigmunda, taught me to love painting with watercolors, which eventually led to my discovery of painting on silk.

Each day after school my friends and I would head to the local Youth House… every German town had one.

They offered classes in photography, pottery, enameling, batik and more. I still have and treasure many of the pieces I created there.

These early influences have remained with me throughout the years.

Today, as I continue to work, I can still hear my mother’s treadle sewing machine as I enjoy the precious gift she passed on to me — the simple magic of “making things”.