A
seminal event in my adult creative development was a three-year stint selling
ladies shoes. Interacting with thousands of women, hearing their stories, and
learning the great range of feelings that shoes invoke germinated a lifelong
creative seed. The first creative outlet was a sort of false start in writing.
The discipline of writing eluded me and my enthusiasm waned. I returned to the
University of Texas at El Paso to take some graduate courses and that lead me
back to painting. I studied there under Jim Quinnan and began to develop my
current themes.
I'm
a latecomer to the art community, but it didn't begin this way. I showed early
promise, winning first place in a city portfolio contest as a senior in High
School. Then as an art major in the University I did well but was unable to
develop a vision for myself as a career artist. My own immaturity, coupled with
a lack of artist role models led me to follow other interests. I graduated in
1979 with B.A. in Latin American Studies.
The
degree proved ideal preparation for my career as naval intelligence officer. I
served in a variety of units until 1993, when I resigned my commission. The
highlight of my military career was serving in Desert Shield/Desert Storm on the
U.S. Navy staff in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I took watercolor materials with me and
painted plein air as often as possible. I also looked at many photographs
from the air, giving me a visual point of reference I explored in some paintings
at the time.
After
the military followed 3 difficult years in computer sales. To augment my income,
I took a second job selling shoes at Hecht’s, a May Company, in one of their
larger stores in Virginia Beach. In 1996 I returned to El Paso as a teacher and
in a short time returned to painting.
I have studied art and
painted throughout my life. While all of my recent work is executed in oils,
I've worked in watercolor, acrylic, ink, printmaking (intaglio, relief, and
serigraphy), wood carving, and metals.
In
November of 1998, I held my first exhibit, a studio opening and reception in the
Texas Building in downtown El Paso showcasing my “Shoescape” series.
Subsequently I exhibited in local venues: “Sojourns”,
“Oseye” Gallery, and “Collage”. In 2000 I presented a workshop on
breaking artists’ block for the Ysleta Independent School District. In the
summer of 2001, an oil painting titled "Tom Lea Park" was exhibited in
Cambridge Massachusetts as part of the prestigious Cambridge Art Association
Juried show.
I moved from El Paso to Dallas in August of 2001. Moving away from El Paso light has changed my work significantly. Many of my new paintings are interiors and the light is just not the same in the North Texas haze. In 2004 my work came to the public in Dallas through an alternative gallery show at Avocado Tree on Knox Avenue. Exposure there led to a collaboration with Krista de la Harpe, a Dallas shoe designer. I executed four paintngs of her shoe designs for a show at her studio in May 2004. While the show was only three nights long, they were devoted to The Dallas Fashion Group, The Theater Center Guild, and the Downtown Art Walk respectively. A Shuz Magazine piece on the show attracted the attention of a shoescape fan an earned me my first commission work. Thank you Joni!
In July of 2005 I mobilized with the National
Guard for a deployment to Kosovo. I spent all of 2006 in the
Balkans and had the opportunity to view Thracian, Hellenic, and Roman
antiquities firsthand. I did a little painting plein air in oils but had
to put painting in the background. I anticipate a new series of paintings that borrow from
ancient icons and images.
My web site, http://www.craigschneider.com, has been active for four years and has seen over 5,500 visitors. In 2005, I swapped with another Craig Schneider, an artist and filmmaker. He swapped me for www.shoescapes.com at that time.
Photo © courtesy of Dan Sellers