Songul Yilmaz Meier

Songul is fascinated by the power of light that shapes the landscape and also by the effects of time and weather on the earths' surface - the forces of light, colour and atmosphere are the elements of Nature that most inspire her. When people view her paintings, the hope is to make them feel that they have not only been to these places but have also shared her experience and memories of that day.

Beauty is a material way of expressing her joy and art is its language. She uses he rknowledge of this language to portray all natural and man-made beauty. Her colourful palette and simple brushstrokes, in both watercolour and oils, are the result of the academic art training she received in Turkey and many years of painting in London. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989 at Gazi University, Turkey.

Songul loves being on her own when she paints and listens to music, often this could be a classical piece, maybe a hard rock piece or something nostalgic from her Turkish origins. She finds the movement, rhythm and emotion both motivating and mood enhancing.

Songul gets inspiration from her travels. She likes to capture strong light or reflection of the season and then paint. She does not make strategic plans but uses small sketches to define a composition and then see what happens.

Her husband, Nicolas Meier is a professional musician. They both work at home and find this arrangement mutually inspirational. Songul teaches art and runs painting holidays in Europe.