Jeff Schneider

Artist Statement

My desire to paint comes from looking at paintings and identifying with the actual material process. You must feel that the “self” is capable of being expressed through paint. Moreover, a good painting should have an immediate impact and then reward the viewer for coming back. The longer you look at it, the more you discover, and the better it becomes. I’ve always tried to make visible what’s underneath an image, to discover the hidden system that determines how something is seen. In retrospect, music, poetry, and photography have always been starting points for my work. These serve as reference points that provide a mixture of visual cues to understand the rhythm, gesture, and depth within the work. I believe painting is the perfect way to critique work you already admire, because you can take the most interesting elements in that work and then push your work as the new way forward; to make it become the next important step. For me, it's the tradition in art and in creative thought, to build on what you're seeing or even love, and then try and take it to a new and original place.