Melanie Sartori Schmidt - April 2019

Artist Statement/Bio

Born to parents who painted houses, I always loved paint and had a desire to fill all of the white walls with colors. I grew up in the middle of nowhere and this gave me a deep sense of appreciation and wonder for nature and its beauty. As a kid, to my parents' dismay, instead of starting a new canvas every time I wanted to paint, I enjoyed painting over things. This has become a part of my practice, and helps me to spur the imagination and experiment, and to have fun with my art. Not all of my art involves the painting-over of things, but many of my larger works have multiple prior works underneath them, some spanning years.

In this series I have created geometric-influenced abstracts in a spontaneous manner, to create balance between free-flowing natural dreamscapes and hard lines/shapes. I believe that through the process of painting we can create new objects as well as modes of thinking and ideas, and detach from past ones. Painting can be both fun and meditative. Being born blind in my right eye has given me a fascination with perspective and depth, as I lack normal depth perception, and it has made me want to create works that stretch the boundary of normal perception, symmetry and geometric design. I like to create a sense of peace and ever-changing movement in my work, and to spur the imagination in others.

I currently reside in Middleton, WI, and enjoy yoga, cooking, and working at a co-op. I have shown art in the Common Ground, Quality CBD, and the Weary Traveler in Madison.