Encores: The adventurous spirit of Palm Springs artist Ulrike Maria
Editor's note: This article is part of The Desert Sun's "Encores" series, which showcases local artists whose diverse careers have spanned decades.
For the artist known as Ulrike, the creative process often begins at night. "I actually sleep on it," she said. "And I ask: what do you want to do?"
That question is at the heart of her artwork. It also reflects a life that took her from her native Austria to Palm Springs, and a career which has spanned two continents.
A creative spirit from birth
Ulrike Maria Kaiser was born in Hallein, a small town outside of Salzburg, Austria, less than a decade after World War II.
"Ten families lived in the house," she said. "And each family had two rooms. We had no running water. We had no bathtubs or showers or any of that."
Growing up in a small town, she "was always adventurous and different."
Even as a child, she loved to draw. She was accepted into a program for design and fashion in Salzburg, but had to work to help support her mother after her parents divorced. Instead of studying art, she finished her education as a border transportation agent at age 16.
"I hated that job," she said. "It just wasn't me. I wanted to be a creative spirit. I felt trapped."
Once a year, the company sent her to a boarding school in southern Austria. She took her guitar, singing and playing in local venues.
When a band from Vienna visited, they encouraged her to move to that city. There, she met a top 40 band and toured as a singer in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
When a music manager invited her to Frankfurt, she became a tour manager, traveling with bands across Germany for 10 years. She worked as a DJ at Biba, a nightclub in a popular Frankfurt entertainment district, then decided to go to Hamburg, which "was really the music capital of Germany" and found a job in music publishing.
How Al Jarreau changed her life
Her roommate worked for a record company that featured singer Al Jarreau on its label. When Jarreau was scheduled to appear at the Apollo Theatre in London, her roommate invited her.
The morning after she saw Al Jarreau's London concert, she and a friend were in a hotel lobby.
"Al was sitting at a table across from us and he waved me over," she said. He told her that she should go to Hollywood. She asked why. He said: "Because you fit there. You really should go."
A member of Jarreau's team promised to show her around Hollywood.
She thought: "Well, my birthday is coming up in January. Why not?"
She bought a ticket, flew to Los Angeles and never looked back.
A new beginning in the United States
Ironically, she never saw Al Jarreau again. But she met members of other musical groups, which led her to the Roxy, the famed nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The Roxy needed a waitress. And Ulrike, who still primarily spoke German, needed a job.
The manager asked if she could mix a screwdriver. She couldn't but told him she could.
"That was it," she said. "I started working there and it became my family."
She worked her way up from waitress to backstage attendant and floor manager, supporting comics including Robin Williams and Arsenio Hall as well as music legends such Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Stevie Nicks, Prince and Billy Idol. Singer Nina Simone wanted Ulrike to go on tour with her.
Instead, she got married and had a son. Living in Laurel Canyon, she wanted to be at home while her son was young. So, for five years, she flipped houses. She got her green card and became an American citizen.
When change becomes paramount
"When I'm done with a part of my life, I think about what do I want to do next," she said. "One day, I decided I wanted to have a restaurant."
She bought a restaurant next to Paramount Studios and ran it successfully for two years.
"A lot of people from Paramount came over to my restaurant, including the studio president," she said.
What she didn't know was that the property was owned by Paramount. One day, their lawyers told her that Paramount was going to tear down the restaurant.
"I lost everything," she said. "I had just divorced my husband. I had two suitcases, an old car and my six-year-old son. My restaurant was gone. We got no money for it."
Taking her son with her, she went to Paramount.
"I'm single," she told them. "I lost everything. I'll take any job. I need to feed my son."
They offered her a hostess job.
Over nearly 20 years, she worked her way up at Paramount, ultimately becoming executive director of special events. Her projects included the MTV Music Awards, events during the 2000 Democratic National Convention, corporate functions, movie premieres and television celebrations, including the wrap party for "Cheers" and special events for "Frasier" and some of the "Star Trek" franchise series. She hosted luncheons and events for U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.
But by 2011, she was "burned out." She asked herself what she wanted to do next. The answer: write about metaphysics. She wrote five books and articles for numerous magazines.
Karen Kritzer met Ulrike when they worked together at the Roxy. They have been friends for more than 40 years.
"Her evolution has really surprised even me," said Kritzer. "She just literally turns on a dime and starts a new career and goes after it."
Kritzer added, "She is spiritual. She is driven. She is focused. She is loving. And she is transformative."
An artistic life in Palm Springs
In 2004, Ulrike purchased a home in Palm Springs. By 2015, she was ready to move to the desert permanently, becoming involved with the Palm Springs Writers Guild and serving as vice president.
She was also ready to return to her first love: art.
Ulrike has served on the board of the Artists Council for six years as director of member programs and communications and as co-chair for exhibitions.
Board member Carole Hatcher said, "She brings unparalleled energy and enthusiasm. She has never failed to deliver the best assignment possible And she helps us strive and work towards very worthy goals and helps us reach and stretch."
Ulrike's work is frequently displayed at exhibitions at the Artists Center at the Galen in Palm Desert and in galleries, art shows, installations, and community exhibitions throughout the region, including the Idyllwild Deer Project and the Loma Linda Children’s Clinic in San Bernadino.
She works "mostly with acrylics and texture on canvas, enjoys mixed media work, paints whimsical 3D objects, and loves bright vibrant colors" for her nature and wildlife-inspired paintings.
"Really, once I start a piece, it tells me what to do," she said. "If there is a face or an animal face or people face on it, I always start with the eyes. Because the painting then looks back at you. And it tells you what it wants to be."
Carole Hatcher notes that Ulrike's style has evolved since she moved to the Coachella Valley. "It's so thrilling to see the new colors, the new styles, the energy, the enthusiasm, metallics and things that she never worked with before," she said. "It's really exciting to see her work. And she has a vivid imagination."
Her son lives in Washington, D.C. He is an Army major for the National Guard and previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
As she emerges from the past few years – including a battle with long COVID – Ulrike is profoundly grateful.
"I had a very fulfilled, exciting, wonderful life," she said. I'm so grateful that I was able to experience what I've experienced. I think I've done everything in my life that I wanted to do. I know it's only going to get even better."
If you go
What: Ulrike's work – “The Clock is Ticking” – will be on display as part of the Artists Council Fall 2022 Exhibition and Sale
When: Oct. 20-Nov. 20
Where: Artists Center at The Galen, 72-567 CA-111, Palm Desert
Cost: Free admission, artwork prices vary
To learn more about Ulrike's life and art, visit thehappypaintbrush.com.
Barbara Kerr is a freelance communication specialist with a passion for writing about people, the arts and special events. Inducted into the Dayton (Ohio) Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame, she is a past chair of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) College of Fellows.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Encores: The adventurous spirit of Palm Springs artist Ulrike Maria
