Regine Temmel
Residence: Rickenbach, Germany (southern part of the Black Forest)
Studio: Bad Säckingen, Germany

Artistic education: Free Academy of Art Freiburg (Germany); master class student at Freiburg experimental studio under Raul Bustamante; trainee in graphics design with the Will & Hess Advertising Agency in Freiburg; lifelong autodidactic ever since my childhood

Other facets: M.A. in Sinology and Ethnology, nonmedical practitioner, traditional Chinese massage, Chinese martial arts, qigong, meditation, extended stays in China and Greece

How it started: Numerous early childhood attempts to copy an oil painting depicting galloping horses – with water colors and opaque white

Flow: To put the first brushstrokes on the white canvas and to feel freedom; when I have the courage to paint over a good painting, knowing there’s more to it than meets the eye

Crisis: When the painting turns out to be really lousy after it’s painted over

What I’ve learned for myself: Don’t wait for the ‘right’ mood to start painting

My credo: Questions often have a greater impact than answers; just because I believe in something, doesn’t mean it’s right

Why did I become an artist? It was my heart’s desire ... you either resist the urge, or simply cave in