Triad of Music, Dance and painting

As the dancer reacts to music, so does the painter to the dance.

The painter's choice of her subjects is determined by observations of daily life in her immediate environment, encounters with different cultures and ever anew – music.

How people move, wether consciously or not, in between imagination and decision, what and how they repeat, how they finally do what they do – the artistic reaction to their movements, not at least in politics and society, runs like a red thread throughout her entire work.

Sigrid Mertin

Born in Olpe, Germany, she lives and works there until the early 90s. Already in school her interests concentrated on painting. Deeply inspired by experiments with textile materials, she decided to take the high road to a career in arts.

Educated by Prof. Fritz Baumgartner, Munich and Prof. Gottfied Bammes, Salzburg, amongst others.

Various stays in France during the 70s; experiments with diverse canvas materials.

Intense examinations of natural colours in the 80s-90s; primarily utilisation of self-produced colours in this phase.

In 1993 she moved the center of her creative activity to Cologne.

Explorations of various techniques, continuous development of a personal collage technique. “Drawings in movement” are created since the mid 90s

Studios in Cologne, Olpe and temporarily in France

1989 Cultural award of the French artist association “Salon du Thouet”, International contest on the theme “Music”.

1991 Award Château Bressuire, France, international contest. Awarded with “Le Prix de Recherche et Orginalité Technique”.

1999 In context of town twinning Cologne-Tunis invitation from the Tunesian ministry of culture as cultural ambassador from the city of Cologne along with M. von Starck and exhibition in the gallery “Dar Haddad”, Tunis.

2013 Special exhibition at the “Vierscheibenhaus” in the WDR's head office in Cologne.