It all started with a move: When Sigrid Kiesenhofer moved into a new house in 2008, she wanted a picture for the empty staircase. “I thought why should I buy one, I can do it myself”, tells the married mother of two children. Visitors and neighbors marveled at the self-painted landscape, and it wasn’t long before the first people asked for an acrylic painting of her. In 2012, the 45-year-old registered a side business. A friend came up with the idea of making plaster casts of pregnancy bumps, which were then painted. This idea was still largely unknown in the country at the time and was well received, says Kiesenhofer.
Discovered talent at school
Her creativity was already evident when she was at school, and teachers advised her to use it professionally as well. “I didn’t think there was any money to be made with this talent, but I’ve been proven wrong”, says Kiesenhofer. She worked in the hospitality industry for years while her talent lay dormant. When she worked in a confectionery, she painted the cakes, the artist remembers.
When the orders kept increasing and could no longer be managed alongside her main job, the Micheldorf native had to make a decision. In 2014 she gave up her job, devoted herself entirely to art and received an award in the same year: the Chamber of Commerce gave her an award for the most creative one-person company in Upper Austria. Meanwhile her main business is the painting of christening, wedding and mourning candles – a detailed work that gives her pleasure. She also accepts commissions for acrylic paintings. When choosing the motifs, she depends on the wishes of the customer, but she is often given a free hand. In her house in Micheldorf, Kiesenhofer has her own office and studio, where she receives clients and works on their orders. “I look forward to my work every day, which doesn’t feel like work at all.”
She also passes on her experience in painting courses: “The most important thing is the interaction of brush, color and material, the feeling for this comes with practice”. As a balance to art and to get out of her four walls, as she says, Kiesenhofer likes to get on her bike. Thanks to the independence, this is also possible during the week: “I am very grateful for that”she says.
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