E.R.N.A. was born Elke Neubert in Lichtenstein (Saxony) in 1954. In addition to training as a children’s nurse, she attended the Academy of Art in Dresden as an evening student. From 1979 to 1984 she studied art there under Gerhard Kettner. In 1982, together with Paul Böckelmann, she acquired old farm buildings in Altenau (Brandenburg), which they converted into an art workshop. In 2004 a producer‘s gallery was opened, also in Altenau (Brandenburg), where E.R.N.A. lives and works.