WELCOME!
My passion is turning words into stories and creating paintings that beckon you to step inside the frame to walk with me through colors.
My New Book: THE LIGHTHOUSE
Simon is a Jewish physician whose passion is saving lives but he is no match for the cunning villain who terrorizes Jews across the Roman Empire. Boldly, he seeks justice for his family and his people and tries to stop the first pogrom in Alexandria. At stake, for him, is the survival of his people.
available on amazon.com
About Me
I was born in Virginia and grew up in Switzerland where I became fascinated with languages. Switzerland has four official languages, and I was surrounded by many more at a very young age.
In Rüschlikon near Zürich.
My father sang Norwegian songs to me about Nissens and Trolls and told me stories about his native Norway. He was president of an international theological seminary in Switzerland, and the students came from thirty different countries. Sometimes I would understand what they said, but didn’t actually know what language it was! I learned the Swiss dialect from my school friends, and all my courses were taught in German.
In Rome at the Arch of Titus
The study of classical languages led me to a life-long fascination with the ancient world and its history. On a student trip to Rome organized by the seminary, I fell in love with a young theology student from France. And that’s when I began to major in all things French. When we married four years later, we joked that Roma backward spells amor. It had to be destiny!
Strasbourg Cathedral
For several years we lived in France. First in Strasbourg close to the cathedral in a place built in 1532 (it was the newest on the block) and later in Paris. When I moved across the ocean again with my growing family, I completed advanced degrees from the University of North Carolina and began a career teaching French and German and interdisciplinary humanities at Centre College. I also developed international programs for our students in London and Strasbourg.
Writing projects are always on my desk, and near my easel stand Mason jars holding brushes ready for more paint.
Photography by Bonnie Johnson and Phil Ciholas
“Alsatian Supper” Oil on canvas; 53″x 29″; 1992
Karin Ciholas 