Birgie Ludlow was born in Flensburg, Germany as Birgit Platz in June 1947. Her family immigrated to Canada in 1952.
Early childhood memories were created in Elmvale, Port Stanton, Hamilton and Ancaster where she found great fulfillment in doing arts and crafts. Eventually all this early creativity lead her to a professional career as a commercial artist for more than twenty-five years.
Throughout her personal life she has continued to use her imagination to develop her own personal artwerkz.
As a single mother to 2 wonderful children Jason and Janine Stoll from 1990-1998 her new found passion of desktop publishing was equally shared by all three as a joint learning effort in technology while they were in their teens. All three today are computer literate.
Since 1991 Birgie has been on a personal creative quest. Her love of nature drove her to pick and press flowers and weeds as they were about to die, preserving them for cards and pictures. In the the cold of winter to see the actual flowers of a lovely garden framed, is a comforting sight.
Initially she quit smoking on Weedless Wednesday January 1991, trading one weed in for another. Her thrill of collecting nature's tapestry, whether it be flowers, leaves, weeds, feathers or stones, salvaging nature’s gifts as a scavenger keeps her passion to create alive to this day. She has had the opportunity to teach her pressed flower techniques to small private groups as well as at night school and her favorite, as a one on one teacher.
It's the sharing that feeds her heart with so much enthusiasm. Photographing nature’s tapestry too feeds her soul.
In 2001 Birgie rekindled her love of drawing and painting by taking watercolor lessons with William Biddle. Through his guidance she found herself returning to her original roots with a new found passion which continues today. All her Birgie Artwerkz are included in the Albirg creations collection.
In 2004 Birgie and her husband Al moved to St. Catharines where they continue to run their business Albirg creations finding great joy and fulfillment in creating and marketing their products as well as helping others to do the same with theirs.
In February 2006 Birgie found the courage to find a way to earn her high school diploma, a goal she had been trying to achieve for fourty-years. With the help of her husband Al, wonderful teachers and classmates she finally earned her high school diploma in June 2006, validating the last fourty years as an artist. She also received a School Spirit Award as well as being nominated for Valedictorian, feeling truly blessed.
Having overcome this major obstacle has given her the confidence to take on new and bigger venues.
