African Violets II

Born and raised in a small town in Austria near forests, glens and mountains, Ingrid Dohm was constantly seeking out varied kinds of floral beauty. During the summer months, in a high mountain lake enclosure, she and her siblings would make daylong forays into the forests solely to see what kinds of flowers they could encounter. A difficult find, but a most sought after one, was the edelweiss. One had to climb up the side of a mountain to see edelweiss growing as an outcropping in the rocks. This was the trophy of the day! Another favored sight was the Christrose, commonly called the Schneerose or snow rose, because it could be seen popping up out of the snow covered ground.

In school Ingrid was always fascinated with any instrument be it pen, pencil or crayon, that could make anything from a straight line to a complicated image. She never understood this strong attraction for art supplies, or the connection between that attraction and her love of nature. It wasn’t until Ingrid came to the United States and married that the association was made. A casual remark by her husband, that she had a natural talent and propensity to draw and paint, made her realize that she ought to get going. A starter paint kit was purchased and that’s the beginning of the story.