FAQ:

1. "Are YOU the artist?" - When people meet me in person, they seemed to be surprised - were you expecting someone taller? younger? male? blonde?
2. "How long have you been an artist?" - I've never not been an artist.
3. "How long have you been doing this kind of work?" - I've done mosaic work forever. I created mosaic portraits years ago. I've always painted in this style...so it's a natural progression.
4. "How did you come up with this idea?" - I'm brilliant. Sounds like a smart-ass answer, but what else would it be? I'm clever, I'm talented, I'm an artist, I'm creative...!
5. "Why is it so expensive?" - Compared to what? How do you put a price on my talent... or the time it takes to create a fabulous piece of art from nothing? A canvas is blank - and after a while it is filled with color & texture - my vision transformed to a sustainable image.
6. "Where do find your materials?" - the mailbox. And, stuff that might have been heading into the recycle bin. Yes, it's all mine.

Read my blog: http://schimmelart.blogspot.com/

Artist's Statement:

In"Chariots of Fire," two men are challenged - asked to deny their faith in exchange for the glory of their King. I am moved by the viewpoint of Eric Liddell. His sister wants him to withdraw from the Olympics to become a missionary. He says: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."

I feel that connection to a higher, but nondescript spirit that gaves me the ability to create something where nothing existed before. A canvas is blank. At the end of a week or more it is filled with images, color, texture, meaning & beauty. I owe the ability to that innate "something" that is who I am. I can't imagine not creating on a daily basis.

My vision: to utilize the disciplines of painting & mosaic to create a connected collection of representational or abstract images in segments of color - while utilizing resources that would otherwise go to waste.

It’s a spiritual and an artistic calling, complete with the inherent agony and ecstasy. There are moments when I look at my work and think – that’s extraordinary… that’s why I do this!

It's also an organic communion of thought and inspiration. I portray faces as I imagine they might be using images from advertising ephemera. I am motivated by external stimuli - art and beauty, fashion and design.

It’s the attention and dedication to craft – hand-cutting, hand-fitting each tiny piece – some work includes thousands of pieces – from squares to shards. It’s close to couture in the amount of time and detail.

Each piece expresses a mood – a calculated effect - high drama, serenity, sexuality or humor.

I am a rabid recycler - I am compelled to upcycle unusual resources to create my art. Look closely for menu items, junk mail postcards, business cards, old greeting cards, cruise itineraries, gallery openings... stand back to view the sum of the parts - a textural representation of beauty.

"What's in a face?" "What is beauty?" I was forced to explore this concept when my own face was radically changed. What is society's version of beauty? Celebrities, models, images made for advertising - the eternal come-on...

What's in a face? It is only a visage we present for review. Can you see the “thinker behind the eyes” through an intricate facade... a false front? I believe we are an aggregate of tiny bits: who we are and where we've been - or who we want or pretend to be. The tesserae, the "tiles" I create from junk mail represent those bits in color and texture and meaning.

The how, the exact process, is not important – the finished creation is the end of the journey. Now, it is up to you to enjoy.

I have been an artist my entire life - drawing, designing; always in color, always in “tune.” I am a Synesthete, I have perfect pitch, I have eidetic imagery. In my world, words, numbers, and sound are infused with color. I do see thing differently.

My brain is the projector – placing images on blank canvas. This is typical of those with eidetic imagery, and how the early masters "saw" and reproduced their subjects without them being present. My work is an algebraic equation. It is a mathematical progression.

I create as an emotional response to visual stimulus – a photo, an idea, a theme… and it morphs as I work, as the subject itself guides me, as the face I paint “speaks” to me. I use material that is saturated with color.

I was exposed to art at my Mother's knee – I learned to mix paint before I could write my name. I could also play piano before I could read music. I spent my youth in art classes and music lessons and sitting quietly in my bedroom drawing. I had to be coaxed out of the art room to attend math and science classes and often cut school to spend days at the MOMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the American Crafts Museum and every gallery in New York City. Some compare my style or technique to Andy Warhol, Gustav Klimt, Peter Max and Chuck Close... I find those comparisons odd, interesting, thrilling and extremely complimentary.

I'm in love with the process of creating. Presenting my work in many arenas [galleries, shows & at the studio] allows for a variety of exposure for my work - and hopefully we'll find each other one place or another!

My goal as an artist is to share my vision and unique art form with serious collectors who: appreciate the detailed work and craftsmanship required to create my original pieces, recognize the depth of meaning in my work and have the desire to own and enjoy beautiful pieces of original art in their home or office surroundings.

S A SCHIMMEL GOLD

This web site showcases just a small sampling [2 years] of a lifetime of work.

And, for those who pooh-pooh portraits as an art form - the most famous painting in the world is a portrait of an unknown woman... and, of the most expensive paintings ever sold, most are portraits of unknown people... artists such as Michaelangelo, Klimt, Van Gogh, Picasso, de Kooning, Titian... created portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Dr. Gachet, Dora Maar... so, maybe you've never heard of my subjects... but they will look fabulous on your wall!

BIO:

I was born in New York, was the “art room brat” in high school and managed to complete college in only 3 years, attending 4 different schools. I have both a B.A. in Psychology and a BFA in Painting. I’ve also studied at the New School for Social Research, UCLA, ASU and many other workshops. I started graduate school, but after changing my area of concentration too many times, I decided to stop.

I began my professional career painting murals. I went on to design and hand-paint needlepoint canvasses. I spent a year as a hand-bag designer...and was always painting portraits “on the side.”

I studied mosaics in Turkey, glass in Venice, and apply this knowledge and experience into my current work.

Travel is a huge part of my life; I’ve been to Europe many times, lived in the Middle East and have visited Africa, Hawaii, Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico… and much of the United States. I am very much influenced by what I have seen during my travels.

I worked in retail for many years, and enjoyed a career as an award-winning visual designer [display]. I was the creative force behind On Display Inc., a groundbreaking retail display design & production company. I gained national attention and recognition designing stores, fixtures, props and stage sets. The store concepts I designed for Levi Strauss & Co. appeared on the cover of Visual Merchandising and Store Design Magazine.

It's a twisty little road I've traveled to be here now.

By the way...

My wonderful husband, Norm Gold - gave me the ability to be a full-time artist; he's my partner, my friend and my constant cheerleader. While I paint, Norm is saving the world:

Norm is the Chief Operating Officer for the World's First Food Bank!

My daughter, Alexsandra, is the light of my life. She's quite a wonderful artist herself, a fantastic writer, a great "consultant," and the sweetest girl on earth.

"It's never too late to be what you might have been."

- George Eliot