Ilse Picard strives for a blend of realism and impressionism that seems to tear at her brush. Vivid colours, twisting, flowing landscapes are juxtaposed with an attempt to portray things as they are.

Her soon-to-be eighty years on earth have not been uneventful. The early years in her native Vienna, University in the US, then work as a simultaneous translator in Mexico, international journalism and a long international career in Rome. Five children and now an ongoing search for her identity and passions through art.

As those who know her often say, Ilse is a "forza della natura". May she find the blend she seeks and continue to delight with her uplifting vision of the world.