Rosalind Schneider
SUNDAY only I seek to create work that transcends its source to form a new reference to a visionary landscape. The power of the natural environment is a continuing source of inspiration.I create layered landscape images with multiple realities that progress from the real into abstraction and a fusion of the two. They are expanded visions of the earth. I seek sites that carry a primeval power. Although images are site specific, they must also speak to a greater vision of place. Digital Fusion paintings resulting from the capture of a video frame use computer technology as a starting point and are realized through hands on manipulation. The surfaces are transformed by drawing, acrylic and glass particle collage resulting in a luminous translation that speaks to its moving image origin. I am most interested in the quality of light as a structural element. The paintings are a fusion of multiple realities that are birthed from video.
The moving stream of video imagery provides unlimited options for consideration. I use digital technology to redefine the structure and color of the original video frame. This is the first step in the exploration of image. The painting enters its second stage with drawing, paint and glass particle collage. It is my intent to grow the painting organically from within its roots. These dimensional paintings speak to their origins in moving image to create a new reality that is both still and moving. The glass-collaged surface creates an illusionary layer that carries forth color and captures light. A sense of movement is created by the viewer’s position as well as the light source. These hybrid works create a dialogue between paint and photography so that each is altered by the others presence. This work reflects my continued interest in challenging the nature of perceived realities.
An extensive exhibition history includes the Hirshhorn Museum where I was the first artist to show Film as Art in 1974 following a solo show of my films at the Whitney Museum in 1973. Exhibitions of film, video, digital prints and paintings include the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Islip Museum, the Chelsea Museum, the Hudson River Museum, the Donnell Library Media Center, The 911 Media Arts Center, Seattle Wa. SculptureCenter, and The N.Y. Hall of Science millennium exhibit. I was part of The Color of Ritual, The Color of Thought, Women Avant-Garde Filmmakers in America 1930-2000 curated by Chrissie Iles at the Whitney Museum. My installations were chosen for the closing celebrations for Art Miami and Art Basel at the Miami Beach Cinematheque. My films “Parallax” and “Abstraction” received preservation grants from NY Women in Film & TV and are part of the MOMA archive. Abstraction was screened at MOMA as part of Carte Blanche: Women’s Film Preservation Fund—Women Writing the Language of Cinema in 2015.
I am considered a pioneer in avant-garde filmmaking. The new work embraces current technologies to further this vision. My visual language has developed over years, creating experimental film, installation, painting and photography. I began working with the translation of digital images in 2005. Paintings have been shown at the art fairs in conjunction with Art Basel in Miami and at fairs in conjunction with the Armory show in NYC and the Free Arts Benefit at Saatchi & Saatchi NYC. A solo exhibition, “The Alaska Series” shown at Artifact Gallery NYC 2013 included Digital Fusion Paintings and the projected video, “Alaska: A Fusion of Realities”. Catalog essay by Sara Blazej. A series of exhibitions of Digital Fusion Paintings as well as an Artist Talk was held at the Art and Sound Gallery, Greenwich Ct. 2016, 2017. Paintings are part of corporate and private collections including Metro Media Fibre Network, NYNEX, The Art Students League permanent collection, City University of NY, Syracuse University, Mt. Sinai and Hudson Valley Hospitals.
Reference to my work is part of “Feminists Who Changed America” 1963-1975, published by University of Illinois, Time Capsule: A Concise Encyclopedia of Women Artists, published by Creative Time SOS International, Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Artists, published by Garland Publications. Reviews include the NY Times and the Journal News. Sage Magazine, volume 111 issue 11 Artist’s Portfolio Feature published by the Yale School of Environmental Studies and Forestry included a double spread of my paintings and narrative in 2009. I am listed in Who’s Who in American Art 24th– 36th editions. I attended Syracuse University School of Art, Empire State College and studied with Morris Kantor at the Art Students League. Recent exhibitions include MOMA: “ Carte Blanche: Women’s Film Preservation Fund—Women Writing the Language of Cinema”,”Real/Abstract” solo show film, video, digital/fusion paintings curator: Josh Guilford at Filmmakers Cooperative, NYC and “Mirror Avant-Garde: Non-Canonical Canonicals by Women Filmmakers”, curator: Tess Takahashi at Filmmakers Cooperative. All my 16mm films are currently being restored by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will be part of the Academy Film Archive. http://rosalindschneiderart.com
