How it all began...
Even as a child I loved to draw, and in my youth it became more and more important. On the one hand as an expression of myself, as a retreat. And on the other hand as a field of research and experimentation. I became passionate about strong images of women, and goddesses, and even painted them all over the walls of my parent's flat. Much to the horror of my parents. And then? I lived out my love of jazz for a few years and studied jazz singing, it was a really fine time. Concerts, jam sessions, and lots of time at the conservatory.
Back to painting
But painting wanted to be heard again and so it came as it should, my focus changed and music took a back seat. I discovered abstract painting and found this kind of art very exciting. It is pure, unadulterated, and direct. From delicate to powerful. Colour, form, and stroke. This is how abstract painting could be briefly described, the "rhythm of color" that I would like to explore. In different series that are thematically inspired by nature, thoughts, or emotions. And music always resonates too, because I love listening to jazz, and sometimes I sing along with it.
My pictures as a path
This year, one theme emerged particularly strongly, also due to all the worries and crises that seem to be omnipresent. The desire to express with my art the longing for inner completeness. The longing for inner freedom. The free child we want to remember. The laughter, the joy, the unadulterated and open approach to life that one had. Spontaneous, daring, and free. Just as my paintings are: spontaneous, dynamic, and painted in flow. Completely in the tradition of Informel.

Artist Statement
A special feature of my art is the sometimes playful lightness, other times a long deliberate process where layer after layer is applied to the picture support. The inclusion of the pencil in the painterly works becomes a stylistic feature of my art, as does the focus on reduced worlds of color. "Monika Herschberger's approach is a reproduction of sensory impressions of one color or several colors corresponding to each other, which she transfers in various forms and brushstrokes against each other on the picture carrier. Often individual layers are washed off again with the brush and water or even with the shower head. The resulting color residues are partly painted over again or remain visible on the canvas as a sign of changeability. Individual graphic elements are accentuated using pencils to contrast the clear power of the stroke with the areas of color." Gabriele Baumgartner, curator