 Michaele
was born in Southern West Germany, and grew up in the scenic mountains of
the Black Forest. She earned a translators degree for English and French
in the Black Forest. She also earned degrees in Marketing and
Communication in Frankfurt and worked in advertising near Frankfurt.In 1988 she met husband Francisco in Miami Beach, while on vacation with her best friend.In 1990 she married Francisco and moved to Miami. They now have two children, Adrian and Paula. Artist Statement: Both my grandmother and my mother loved jewelry and in my hometown a gemologist operated a store and exhibit, which completely fascinated me as a child. It still exists today. I grew up learning about gemstones and jewelry and living near the jewelry capital of Germany, Pforzheim, I wanted to study jewelry design, but was talked out of that by my mother, who wanted me to learn something more solid, thus I went to Language School. Art has always been a big part of my life. My great grandfather was a wood carver in the Black Forest, creating incredible pieces that are still in the family today. My grandfather built wooden furniture with beautiful inlays and other delicate detailings. My mother was a hairdresser, with a real passion for hair. She was known in the region for her unbelievable hair creations for special events, from Louis XIV era hair sculptures to any modern and out-of-this-world style. I did study oil painting with Joanna Tyca and love to paint in oil, but unfortunately time and limited space did not let me pursue this art form. For many years now I have been transforming my passion for sculpting and painting into cakes. My grandmother was a wonderful baker and her cakes were known all over town. I did inherit her recipes and her love for baking.. I took some cake decorating classes and researched and studied the techniques of the great cake decorators from the US, England and Latin America. I do not want to pursue this as a career, but it is the perfect hobby on the side, decorating cakes for family or friends, which over the years have amounted to hundreds of them. My husband and I had agreed that if we had children, I would stay home and take care of them, which I did for several years. By the time both children attended school, I started to research gemstones again and found that Miami has an abundance of suppliers with an overwhelming choice of every gemstone available. It took some patience at the beginning to visit every supplier in town, and by now I know which one has the best pearls, amethyst, turquoise, amber, etc. My biggest passion has always been pearls, and by finding all these beautiful shapes and colors I was again hooked! I love to go to the supply stores and go up and down the aisles countless times to look and touch the gemstones while the designs form in my head. I do not like to order gemstones over the internet. I need to see the various hues, shades and tones and also the exact shapes and sizes to be able to match the stones perfectly. |
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