Sarah's Spotlight - R. Schneider Art Studio

Today I decided to search "Painting" on Artfire to see what new stores I came across. The first few pages were filled with some great paintings but nothing quite my style. Then I came across R. Schneider Art Studio. This place is great! Anyone who has followed my blog knows how much I love animals, especially cats. Ms. Schneider speaks right to my heart with her art!

Ms. Schneider is a self-taught artist. I am always slightly jealous of artists. My mother is a graphic designer and majored in fine arts in college. She always says she'd rather draw the tomato than cook it. I picked up absolutely none of her artistic skills. Stick figures are about as creative as I get! So I'm slightly in awe of people who can pick up a pencil, crayons, pastels, or paint and make something beautiful out of it. Ms. Schneider is certainly a well rounded artist. In addition to painting, she talents include ceramics, knitting, cross-stitch, photography, poetry, and most impressively composing music for piano. That's a talent I have not yet come across in these spotlights!

Ms. Schneider currently has three main series of painting: Meditations on the Maine Coon, Socrates, and Red Collar Dogs. My family has often had part-Maine Coon cats, and I love these gentle giants! Okay, our first cat was not so gentle, but she was pretty big! The cat in this series is named Atlas, and he strikes new poses on different colored backgrounds to form great collages. A true cat lover can never have too many cats, and these paintings are a true testament to that statement.

Socrates is another cat series. This single cat painting captures the true essence of the cat's will. You cannot tell a cat to do something. The cat must decide on his/her own to do something.

Red Collar Dogs have polka-dot legs and striped tails. And of course, they all have red collars. Ms. Schneider writes that she loves "Van Gogh red" and used that to inspire this series, which includes some single dogs, some pairs, and some collages. 

In addition to these main series, Ms. Schneider also has a Little Bird Series, abstract paintings, and some adorable cat-themed art cards. I love all of her work - her animals are too adorable! What's also impressive is that each piece not only comes framed but that the frame is part of the artwork. Many of her frames are also painted to expand the print. If only my walls had some extra space that needed to be filled...

Ms. Schneider also has an Etsy shop: http://www.rschneiderartstudio.etsy.com