'I was born in Dresden in 1929. After leaving school I did an apprenticeship there as a stone sculptor. From 1950 to 1954 I studied sculpture, and 1959 to 1964 ceramics at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle. In 1979-89 I worked there as a teacher. I am married to a painter and have four children.'

The ceramicist and sculptor Gertraud Mhwald, who was renowned far beyond the borders of Germany, gave this personal statement two years before her death in December 2002. The emotional expression of her figurative works can be understood by people across the globe. But who is this sculptor with the impressive ability to critically observe herself and the world? Who is this woman who struggles to find space and time for her own artistic work while trying to fulfil her role as a wife and mother? Who is this ceramicist who knows how to draw positives even from adverse circumstances? This book provides the answers in images of selected works and numerous hitherto unpublished texts by the artist.