A survivor of the Nazi and Communist years in Hungary, Ms. Drechsel immigrated to the United States in 1949. She became a citizen, went back to school and then worked as a medical assistant and lab technician. Later, she started to paint and studied with Louise Smith, an instructor at U.C. Davis and Berkeley. She has exhibited in shows, but takes her greatest joy from seeing her paintings permanently displayed in the national museum in Hungary.

Thoughts…

This is my first mask painting. Perhaps subconsciously, I chose a mosaic pattern because I believe that life is a great mosaic created by our experiences -- sad or happy, beautiful or ordinary, painful or joyous. We just have to add the little squares to the picture and so it grows. We can see and measure our past life and gain strength for the future. This mask may be the last kindly touch to a mosaic picture of a life.