Oct 2, 2015 Art
For years, Doris Baertschi painted in secret. Her husband didn’t approve. So when he and their three children were sleeping, that’s when she painted. Now divorced, the 85-year-old spends most days getting lost in art in her Glen Eden living room. “I can paint all day and not eat, not drink,” she says. Her abstract works are vivid and playful. “It’s my escape from the bad times.”
At last count she had more than 300 paintings, about 100 of which are on show this month at a pop-up gallery in New Lynn, thanks to her local framer. It’s her first exhibition. “It’s like a jack-in-a-box coming out,” she says.
The Secret Life of Doris Baertschi. State of the Art Pop-Up Gallery, to October 23, stateoftheart.net.nz
