Featured Artist Paul Schmidt

Painter Paul Schmidt celebrates form and movement in his wildly colorful collection of abstract art. Enjoy and visit his website to see more.

 

 

I live in St. Louis, Missouri with my wife and two sons. In my practice I use color, shape, and space to create movement and emotion for the viewer.

 

 

Originally from Wisconsin, I graduated from Marquette University and went into the Army, where I was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I started painting because I needed space to collect my thoughts and detach from the challenges of work and daily life. I painted off and on for a few years, but not consistently. Within the last year, I have realized that steady creation provides a needed balance and outlet as I get older.

 

 

My work is abstract and often centered around organic forms, that I jokingly refer to as blobs. These forms allow me to create windows of color, layers of depth and different lenses within a piece. The composition is largely graphic,  with defined elements, strong lines and a frequent geometric feel.

 

 

Color fascinates me. Simple or complex, I want the colors of my work to reflect the vibrancy of the world around us that we often take for granted. Many things we see daily life blend into the background. I strongly believe that art shouldn’t be a neutral tone.

 

 

I find inspiration everywhere, be it a color combination on a billboard, the curve of a shadow coming off a desk, or a song title. Taking an inspiration, realizing it as an idea and then turning it into something is my personal definition of art.

 

 

Just as I can find inspiration everywhere, my style is an amalgamation of what I experience: the graphic design inherent to the internet, the art I’m exposed to, the music I listen to and the experiences I’ve had.

 

 

A lifelong doodler, I love the act of creating and overcoming the problems one always comes across in a piece. Paintings can be puzzles. Being a self-taught artist, I am constantly learning new and different techniques, methods, and tricks.

 

 

I realize that to be creative and to take the risk of putting what I create out into the world is an adventure and a challenge. My goal is to be the best artist and creator that I can be, with work that I enjoy. Hopefully others do as well.

 

Paul Schmidt invites you to follow on Instagram. 

 

 

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