The idea for my portraits goes back to 1998: A friend of mine wanted a very special painting for her husband. A painting, that was supposed to be both very personal and very emotional.

That briefing lead to the core idea of marrying real photography with painting techniques: Nothing is more personal than a good photo. And with the painted additions I'm able to transport a lot of emotional details. Copy, symbols, old papers - they are all supposed to describe the photographed person, explain aspects of life, give insights into personality. My special collage technique is combining all elemets to one authentic piece of art.