I grew up in a small village in Bavaria, Germany, to a master tailor mother and an entrepreneurially spirited father. From an early age, I lived between two worlds that would later define my artistic vision: the wild grandness of Bavarian nature and the refined beauty of classical arts. My childhood was split between log cabins and ballet studios, between horse riding, dog breeding and the performing arts - a duality that planted the seeds for my lifelong pursuit of finding beauty in both the wild and the refined.
From my grandfather Sebastian, I inherited a love for exploration. I left home at 20, answering the call of my wanderlust. My pursuit of freedom and careers, brought me to Paris, London, Jersey Island, Southern England, Montana, China, and the German North Sea coast before putting down roots 35 years later - in the ancestral hamlet of my family in Bavaria. Life goes full circle, doesn’t it?
As a trained Banker, a Business Developer Manager for Startups, and Certified Negotiation Trainer (Harvard), my career was a symphony of entrepreneurship and deliberate communication, of structure and innovation. Twenty successful years in the corporate world taught me how to lead, build, and communicate with intention. But in 2010, I answered a quieter call - to pursue the artistic side of my childhood and lineage.
Setting out to be the next shining light at National Geographic, I trained to be a photographer. I quickly exchanged fame for intimacy - tears, hugs, stories shared. My work became deeply personal: people photography, documentaries, art. Photography lets me live purposefully, express freely, and make a positive impact on others, all on my own terms. I am abundantly blessed to do what I love for a living.
I am a firm believer in taking chances and the thrill of entrepreneurship. I love creating, nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing a vision come to life before me. So despite my current hamlet-heaven-on-earth-life, I haven’t lost my appetite for a life plump with promise. On my 54th birthday I asked myself what stories my 90-year-old self would be proud to tell. Turns out they are stories of love, self-expression, adventure and travel, immersion, surrender, collaboration and connection, personal growth, bravery, and living a full life. I pour all of it into Sommardale Art, which I founded in 2024.
I bring the professionalism of an entrepreneur and the vision of an artist — grounded, reliable, and committed to delivering a seamless, high-standard experience from our first conversation to final installation.
For Sommardale Art, I create and curate mesmerising nature photography, infused with the spirit of Shibui, a refined Japanese aesthetic that celebrates simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty. For over a decade, Shibui has been guiding my distinctive and contemporary language of nature photography - a visual symphony of stillness, depth, and grace.
Each piece invites you - the viewer - to exhale, to soften, and to find a precious moment of peace and stillness within you. And stillness, I’ve found, is the beginning of everything.
Warmly,
Petsy.