A teacher helps many students in the course of their lives to achieve outstanding results or to succeed in their chosen career. Most of the time, the teacher's contribution to the students' success goes unnoticed. It is also known that teachers sometimes have no artistic ability, but they encourage students to become successful artists. But it is rare for a teacher who teaches his students to develop into a creative person and become a professional artist. Monika Marti from Obfelden is one of those rare people who taught with heart and soul for 40 years and also developed into a fine abstract painter in the last 20 years.
 

Before the summer holidays in July this year, Monika retired after four decades as a teacher and headmistress and decided to dedicate the next phase of her life to her family and, above all, to the artist within her. For the last 8 years, she has been the headmistress of the school in the municipality of Stallikon.
 

It is the beginning of a new chapter in Monika's life. That's why ‘Carpe Diem – seize the moment (or “pluck the day)” is her new motto for navigating this transition. For Monika, this is the third, and perhaps the quietest, phase of her life. A phase full of offers and opportunities to do what she loves, to pursue her interests, to have time and space to enjoy her free time. She wants to approach each day with a pure awareness of the here and now, and let her heart guide her.
 

Therefore, this series ‘Carpe Diem’ illustrates and describes the new lightness and joy of being in the moment and appreciating everything as it is. She also hopes that this series inspires viewers to understand how important it is to be in the moment in order to master the day's challenges with ease, inner joy and appreciation of beauty.
 

Monika finds her subjects and objects for her images everywhere. She tries out and discovers textures, lines, shadows, reflections, colours and shapes in everything she observes and perceives. She finds her subjects, observes them with searching eyes and then photographs them. Finally, she lets herself be guided by her intuition to initiate the next creative process, namely painting. She begins to express herself by painting, writing, printing or gluing images and texts, over which she repeatedly paints and draws until she finds the colours and lines that have come together to create a poetic whole on a chosen surface, be it a canvas, paper or wooden box.
 

In her work, Monika uses a variety of materials such as acrylic, marble powder, wax, charcoal and different types of pens. She also uses techniques such as collage, printing, frottage, etc. She lets her curiosity guide her as she adds layer after layer until the secret of the creations reveals itself to her.

‘Creative thinking and imagination are in my blood. Whether at work or in my artistic endeavours, my creative outlook and perspectives lead me to embrace the unexpected, to dare to do something new, always finding an answer or solution, or sometimes to try something new, combining or discarding it, or choosing a completely different path,’ explains Monika about her method of creative expression.
 

When we look at her paintings, it is quite obvious that her inspiration comes mostly from nature. Monika is an enthusiastic nature lover and esthete. She admires beauty in all its forms. And nature has all the beauties, ingredients and elements she needs to satisfy her creative hunger. On the one hand, she boldly and courageously creates her forms and figures on the chosen medium, without paying attention to the composition or grammar of aesthetics. On the other hand, she allows the energy of happiness and joy to flow into her works, so that she can tell stories through them.
 

As Monika mastered her life as a teacher and artist, she learned the art of juggling both with finesse. Tension and relaxation, movement and stillness, fullness and emptiness have accompanied her throughout her professional life. Finding balance in the rigours of the day-to-day was a challenge. But artistic pursuit has always given her the means to reconcile a demanding family and professional life while providing stability to her mind, body and soul.
 

Ten years into her teaching career, Monika had already developed an artistic vision that led her to study various art forms and movements. Through her artistic education and studio work, she learned to engage with different artistic expressions and diverse artistic techniques. Constant curiosity and practice eventually helped her develop and find her own visual language.
 

But, as Monika says with grace, ‘For 40 years, the school was an integral part of my life. Both as a teacher and as a headmistress, I was always fully committed to my work. Now this time has come to an end. I won't miss the challenges and difficulties, but I will miss the children and the team I worked with.’

By Deviprasad C Rao

Artist, Curator, Writer