I can hear the bells...

New work - "Dear Diary" inspired by I Can Hear the Bells from Hairspray.

 Our subject is deliriously happy - joy...floating up through the air...just like champagne bubbles [hand-written out-takes from a diary posting]. Colors - blues, lavender... mustard background. A little sweeter than the past few images, but I needed a happy break!

What's with the Green Fine Art?

A lot of people ask me why I am a green fine artist.

There are actually many reasons

1. I've been an artist since I was a little kid. Art classes, art major, artist as a profession. You're always around toxic stuff - paints, fumes, dyes, etc. I'd wake up at night wheezing after exposure to these chemicals. I know how dangerous many of them are. I made a promise to myself a few years ago to stop using toxic materials. 
2. Artists have a tendency to hoard. Okay, I'm not on the scale of those who end up on reality shows, but I do have a room where I store all my paper [junk, mail, postcards, calendars, etc.], paints, crayons, pencils, Styrofoam balls, moss, needlepoint canvas, beads, yarn, tile, glass, mats, stickers, frames, ink, magazines, colored sand, buttons, toys, broken stuff... a whole lotta potentially useful "art supplies" that I always intended to use for something.
3. I am a recycle/upcycle individual by nature. I can't help it. I have 10 times more trash for the recycle bin than the trash bin... and if I hadn't found a giant RAT in my composter, a couple of months ago, I'd be doing that too. I buy art at yard sales, and re-use the canvas, the frames... why not. I ride a bike. I buy local. I use green products.
4. I think of myself as an artist first. I happen to be a green person. My work happens to be made from non-toxic stuff. You could eat it [you can't digest it].

So, it's somewhat from self-preservation, a life-style, a habit, and kismet. I created a technique that is unique to me... and happens to help the environment. It's all good.  I hope you like it, too.

Hope you can attend the opening at Translations Galley in Denver next month!

S A Schimmel Gold - Schimmel Art: Which painting fascinates me most?

S A Schimmel Gold - Schimmel Art: Which painting fascinates me most?

Which painting fascinates me most?

This one.
The Arnolfini Marriage.

The drapery is amazing.
The brass, the convex mirror, the cast off shoes, the little dog...the lighting, the details!
The artist signed the wall [early grafitti] and is reflected in the mirror.
When I was a student, what impressed me most in art is skill. The ability of the artist is amazing.

read more here:
Wikipedia

What's your favorite?

Love is Touching Souls

"Love is Touching Souls"

Original - 24x36"

This is one of my newer pieces, inspired by love.. Adoring, desiring, willing to suffer...love.
The lyrics are written on the image, and phrases on border.
She's in the blue TV screen light...
Part of my newer series of "Emotional Influences" An image, an emotion, a song... inspired by
"A Case of You"-

Lyrics by Joni Mitchell:

"Just before our love got lost you said
I am as constant as a northern star
And I said, constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar

On the back of a carton coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada
Oh Canada
With your face sketched on it twice

Oh you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you darling
And I would still be on my feet
Oh I would still be on my feet

Oh I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid

I remember that time that you told me, you said
Love is touching souls
Surely you touched mine
Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time..."

[there's more] listen here:

Remember falling in love? Me too, and I hope you enjoy this original work that captures that emotion...forever.

Another emotion - feeling not so confident in love is expressed in this piece:

 "I feel unsteady, where's my love?"

This image reflects that sinking feeling when you're not sure about your lover... where they are, what they're doing... and the depths of that emotion...fear, longing, feeling unsteady. Inspired by "Lilac Wine," performed by Katie Melua. You can hear that here. This piece is huge - 36x48" Acrylic, Ink, Tissue & Junk Mail on Canvas.

Visit my website to read more, find events, galleries, etc. 

Email me for pricing.

Time Enough...

We've got all the time in the world...

Yes, when we're children, we have no concept of time... the limited amount of time we have on earth - our lives seem to stretch out forever - a week seems like a lifetime.

I've just faced the passing of my Mother. Her time on earth was not short, but was it enough? Time enough? She imparted wisdom to her children and grandchildren... don't wait, if there's something you want to do - do it NOW. Of course, this makes me think of my own mortality... and I think of my child, who has a lifetime ahead of her. I hope she appreciates this gift.

We have nothing left... only love...

This is my newest addition to my "Emotional Influences" series. The image of a child, surrounded by a clock, time - linked with the song "We have all the time in the world." Click on the link to hear the song, performed by Iggy Pop.

24x24" junk mail and tissue on canvas. $2300.00

The Journal in my Head

I've read that artists, designers & craftspeople keep journals: filled with inspiration from travel, gallery visits, etc. They're filled with sketches, swatches, tear sheets, photos... all for future use. I keep one too, but it's in my head.

I have a "thing" [call it a phenomenon, a condition, a talent or a quirk] called Eidetic Imagery. Here's the Wiki definition. Anyway, almost anything I see, that really makes an impression or resonates on some level, goes into that mental filing cabinet for future use. I can actually physically recall images from the past - a face, a place, a set of tiles, a painting... a movie... and see it in the air, as if there is a projector in my head, using my eyes as the lens... an invisible screen at my disposal is within 15 inches of my face.

I often stammer for words - just can't remember the right one...and please don't ask me what year something happened [other than birth of child or year of wedding] or what I had for lunch two days ago...or what I walked in here for... but images, they're always there for reference.

Another thing - my 8th grade science teacher told our class not to study - that we should "rely on our ability to recall," which I might have taken a little too much to heart - not knowing yet about Eidetic Imagery. I remember things that happened in that classroom [Hi, Gaelyn], but I would say, that's not the best advice for teenagers more interested in drawing daisies on their hand during science class.

So, my journal - my head - is filled with images of the classic works of art - from art museums and books, not to mention photos from magazines, charts, maps, comic strips, ruins in Ephesus, people I know, couture collections, my room in Reading, PA, my dorm room in Oneonta, my room on a Kibbutz in Israel, a pair of shoes I bought in Italy when I was 18, a pair of shoes I wore in that 8th grade classroom, the shoes I wore to my high school reunion, jewelry, paperweights, and the image of my husband the first time I saw him in a swimsuit [think Vitruvian Man]... you get the picture [!]... all jumbled and/or filed. And, all available for use.

I usually don't watch a movie more than once, I can see it any time I want. I actually watched "District 9" again the other day, it's so filled with images...but I really liked the story. I could watch "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" another 35 times... but that's just for laughs. I try not to watch scary movies, because the image stays with me forever.

Disclaimer: I do have a few photos taped up in the studio, but I rarely refer to them. I also have a drawer full of photos that might be a jumping off point someday. I do have a shelf full of books - art books, Dover books, reference books...about costume, medieval design, beaded flowers... all kinds of stuff. And, a lot of music to listen to when I'm working.

When I fill a canvas with thousands of images, photos, words... it all makes sense to me, I could point at my head and tell you "You should see what it looks like in here."