Palette Knife Painting Workshop at River Gallery School

Palette Knife Oil Painting with Cameron Schmitz

At the River Gallery School
32 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT

www.rivergalleryschool.org

Class Schedule: 
Tuesdays: August 13, 20 & 27 |  9:30am- Noon

3 Class Workshop: $130

Learn to effectively utilize the painting knife with increased control and ease, to expand your repertoire and help you create paintings that are both expressive and more unified. Through demonsrations, student painting time, and slide presentations, students will learn how to more accurately depict light with successful blended transitions and softer, life-like edges. Emphasis will be placed on blending and paint application techniques, with an additional focus on color mixing and understanding values. The workshop will also help students develop their paintings more loosely and confidently, encouraging students to take risks and have fun.

Materials List TBA

To Reserve a spot in the class, email rgsart@sover.net

Sneak Peak: " H O M E L A N D "

I am delighted to announce the next, upcoming, curated group show at The Drawing Room Art Gallery, Homeland: Contemporary Approaches to Contemplating the Landscape, which runs February 2 -April 2, 2013. With wide, open arms, we invite the greater public to join us celebrating a great group of artists and artworks at the Opening Reception on Saturday, February 2, from 6:30-8:30 pm. 

Homeland examines the concept of place and artists’ use of the landscape as a point of reference, across the mediums of painting, mixed media and photography.

Featured artists are Darthea Cross (Maynard, MA), Michele Kishita (Philadelphia, PA), Chris Macan (Newtown Square, PA), Jeremy Saladyga(New Fairfield, CT) and Cameron Schmitz (Brattleboro, VT). These artists reveal their own distinctive approaches to interpreting the landscape, and together present intriguing juxtapositions of photographic and painterly approaches to the subject. Departing from the traditional notions and representations of the landscape, each artists’ work provides a unique perspective that embodies some surprising and unexpected results. These contemplative and personal visions of the landscape provide the viewer with metaphors for memory, utopia, and our ever-changing global ecology. Whatever the viewer may interpret, this exhibition provides a rich subject for contemplation in the ways that we relate to place, where we live, and how we as humans impact the varied environments that we traverse and inhabit.

The Drawing Room Gallery is open Monday- Saturday, 10am-5pm and is closed on Sundays.

For further information or to RSVP for the Opening Reception, contact:

The Drawing Room Art Gallery

5 Suburban Avenue, Cos Cob, CT 06807

(203) 661-3737

Email: events@thedrawingroomartgallery.com

Website: www.thedrawingroomartgallery.com

Here's a sneak peak of what's to come....Shhhh!

Jeremy Saladyga, "Dark Interval #9", Photograph,  4x5"

Michele Kishita, "Spring Thaw", Mixed Media, 50x54

Darthea Cross, "Down to the Sea", Mixed Media, 36x36

Chris Macan, "Two Trees Fall", Infrared Photography, 36x31

More Yellow, More Works in Progress

Gray, Rainy Days Beg for a Burst of Yellow!

Paintings in progress in my studio: December 4, 2012

Taking Shape: A Curated Group Show Featuring Seven East Coast Contemporary Artists

I'm delighted to share The Drawing Room Gallery's first group show, Taking Shape, which I have had the fortune to curate. These seven artists: Steven P. Goodman (Burlington, VT), Eliza Stamps (Brooklyn, NY), Jessica Cuni (Rutland, VT), Jeff Bye (Hershey, PA), Bob Miranti (New Rochelle, NY), Phil Nelson (Stamford, CT) and Francisco Diaz (Montclair, NJ) all bring to the table a unique persepctive on the traditional mediums of painting, drawing, photography and sculpture.

The Drawing Room Gallery, located at 5 Suburban Avenue in Cos Cob, CT, is also attached the The Drawing Room Cafe which is open daily Mon-Sat. Additionally, there's also The Drawing Room Boutique, located at 220 East Putnam Avenue. The Drawing Room Gallery, Cafe & Boutique, together provide Fairfield & Westchester Counties with a "one-stop shop" location for high quality, high-value contemporary art, cutting edge interior design, furniture & accessories and artisan fine food.

The much-anticipated group show, Taking Shape, opens Nov. 21, 2012 and runs through Jan.19, 2013. This grand opening reception for the exhibition and Gallery, will take place on Saturday, December 1st from 6:00-9:00 pm and will overlap with Cos Cob Association’s First Annual “Winter’s Eve Festival” which greets the public from 4pm to 8pm behind the Cos Cob Fire Station!

All are welcome to attend the reception and may RSVP by emailing artshows@thedrawingroom.cc

The Drawing Room Gallery plans to hold future bi-monthly art shows featuring emerging and established regional and national artists. For more information about the gallery, opening receptions and events, or artist submissions please email artshows@thedrawingroom.cc

Letting go...works in progress, October 2012

Oil on canvas, 30x30, 2012

oil on canvas, 30x30, 2012

Landscape painting in progress

This painting is 3/4 complete...just some editions left to be done to the tree: expanding it's upper shape so that it extends to reach further into the upper picture plane, with soft edges, disappearing into that humid, slightly hazy summer air.

I've been working on this painting for a few months now...it's specifically inspired by the areas of both Addison County and Windham County, around Putney, VT, where there are greater vistas, and wider, expansive fields, filled with warm golds and greens, overlaying the violet soft hues of the mountain tops in the distance. 

This particular work illustrates my utilization of paint application and color to create friction between both flat and deep space within the pictorial frame.

Commission Portrait in progress- August 2012

Commission Project: Portrait in progress

Above is a commission project that I am currently working on, about 1/2 the way through. The beginning stages are crucial to setting up a solid foundation for the moves and marks that are to come next. 


My goals for this painting is to capture the spirit and essence of this beautiful little boy, while also expressing a looseness, lightness and freedom in this moment in time. It's a moment of imaginative reflection and close study that we witness. I, as the artist, enter from the perspective of the adult, admiring the curiosity within this wonderful stage in any child's life; so porous and sponge-like, collecting new memories every minute, composing the very beginning identity and shape of himself, who beings to observe the world around him.

Hello spring, hello plein air painting!

Day 1, painting in Hinsdale, NH


With this recent, amazing weather, I have been eager to get outside, break out the easel, and paint.  For the past week I've been painting in Hinsdale, NH, which is about 20 minutes south east of Brattleboro. You may wonder why I set my easel up on the pavement as opposed to the grass. I positioned myself in this spot, to get just the sight that you see in this picture, with the barn peaking in from the right hand side and the ridge of the landscape and mountains in the background. However, after about three hours into the painting, something just didn't feel right. With any artform, you may think you have an idea, but in the making, instinct and reflection may say different. And in this case, my gut was telling me that I needed to simplify and eliminate.The barn just had to go. Despite it seeming like a nice idea at first, I had to get ride of it entirely. Though this particular work still remains somewhat unresolved, now the painting feels has a little bit more breathing room, and in fact, and feels more peaceful. I have since scraped down this painting twice more and repainted the surface again. After three days outside, this painting will now go to the studio where I will work from memory and incorporate a little invention to bring it to completion.

They're BACK! Flat Street Brew Pub and March's Gallery Walk!

"Wash", oil on canvas, 24x24, 2012

Tomorrow I will be installing some brand-spanking new paintings at Flat Street Brew Pub & Tap Room for Gallery Walk, (Friday, March 2nd, 5:30-8:30) and throughout the month of March. As I illustrate in my preceding post, for the past month I've been at work on some new paintings in the studio, most of which are inspired by my own romanticizing of a "real" Vermont winter graced with gently powdered roads. As a native New Englander, this has been one of the most snow-less winters that I can ever remember, and to be honest, it's been kind of depressing. I'm not even an avid skiier. I think it's that snow conjures up feelings of comfort for me, and a sense of time, and celebration of seasons. Funny is though, as I write this post, I am smiling as snow now falls outside my window in my periphery. Oh snow! Oh snow! You've come to visit, at last! Just in time!

Now about Flat Street Brew Pub...not only is this place just an all-around great place to hang out with friends (with an impressively ample beer selection), but now more than ever, it is a true symbol of resilience, community and overcoming adversity. If you live in Brattleboro or frequent here, you saw and heard how badly this special place was hit by the wretched storm of Irene and her flooding waters. Of all the commercial establishments in town, Flat Street was hit the hardest, which was a huge loss for everyone and most obviously a great devastation to its owners and dedicated employees. The great news however, is that with a humongous community effort and great labor of love by its owners and staff, they were remarkably able to re-open the bar just a few couple months ago, and as of this week, have their kitchen back up and running with a full bar menu in swing!Yipee!

So come on down to the Flat Street Brew Pub this Friday night for Gallery Walk from 5:30-8:30, grab yourself a beer and a burg and catch the last glimpse of winter on the walls before it's gone!

Flat Street Brew Pub & Tap Room

	6 Flat Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Phone	1 802.257.1911
Website	http://flatstreet.net
Hours (estimated)	Mon: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm Tue: 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm Wed: 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm Thu - Sat: 12:00 pm - 12:00 am Sun: 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm

When there's no snow, you make it...well, in the studio at least!

It's been a rather uneventful winter here in Brattleboro, VT, at least in terms of the typical snow storm and expected winter blanket that usually covers the ground at this time. The is true for much of the surrounding areas here in the Northeast. It seems there's a 50/50 response to this situation, which is either, "Horay, we're getting to spring faster!", or " Dang, what a bummer of a winter!". I have to admit, I side with the latter half. Though, I am still hopeful that we'll get slammed with a wonderous winter storm before the end of March, or who knows, maybe the first of April, like last year. Until then, it seems I am making my own snow in the studio, reminiscing about past winters and that beautiful peacefulness a fresh blanket of snow conjures up.

MOTHER-DAUGHTER EXHIBITION & OPEN STUDIO! Friday, Jan. 6th 5:30-8:30 pm

Happy New Year and Welcome, January 2012!

January 2012 | Brattleboro Gallery Walk: Featuring the artwork of Karen Schmitz

I'm excited to share that I will be exhibiting the colorful and luminous paintings by the talented, Karen Schmitz during January's Gallery Walk! Nope, not a coincidence in names- Yup, that's my mother. I am delighted to share her work with the Bratteboro community next month and pay homage to the woman who is probably single-handedly responsible for my own artistic capacity and journey!

Karen Schmitz, oil on canvas

Cameron Schmitz Fine Art Studio* Gallery Walk: January 2012

22 High St., 4th floor 

www.karenschmitz.com

Alongside Cameron Schmitz’s recent work are the luminous landscapes and pet portraits by painter, Karen Schmitz, who also happens to be Cameron’s mother! Karen Schmitz has been painting for over 40 years and her colorist oil paintings include portraiture, New England landscapes and contemporary pet portraits. Her vivid expression of color and light reflect her passion and enthusiasm for conveying the many shades of beauty found within nature and the loving faces of our four-footed friends. Karen studied under prominent artists including Charles Movalli and David Dunlop, in addition to her studies at The Hudson Valley Art School, Silvermine Art School, and California State Las Angeles. In addition to her painting, Karen is also an interior decorator; She owns and operates Karen's Interiors & Design Studio with her husband, Jonathan Schmitz, which has been in business for over 30 years, located in Cos Cob, CT. 

Please come meet Karen Schmitz and visit this exciting and synergistic duo-exhibition of mother and daughter paintings on Friday, January 6th at the studio of Cameron Schmitz, 22 High Street, Brattleboro, VT! For more images of Karen’s artwork you can visit www.karenschmitz.com

Miss Gertrude Barker Bones, oil on linen, 20x20

Django, oil on linen, 20x20

Huckleberry, oil on linen, 20x20

Marks of Passage, opening reception at The Drawing Room

Come support art and local business on "Small Business Saturday", this Saturday, November 26. I hope to see you there!

View from Putney

Oil on panel


Here is one of my most recent oils painted en plein air in Putney, VT. I returned to a beautiful farmhouse that my husband and I considered renting back in July when we were first looking for apartments around the Brattleboro area. The farmhouse and the land surrounding it is absolutely exquisite, but the cost of living in that beautiful 1st floor apartment, well, not so exquisite when we realized how much it would cost to heat. So, although we rationally but sadly turned it down, I realized that perhaps Jeff Shumlin, the landlord would be okay with me returning, and he was. And I am almost certain that I will be back again. Thank you, Jeff!

New Painting from explorations eastbound

Oil on Canvas, 30x30


Here is a recent painting that I  have been working on which I think is finished. (Think) Although this panting illustrates a similar subject matter that is familiar to what I focused on during my "HERE" series using only text, what is different here is that I am trying to use only the marks that I need.  Distill it down to what is only necessary. When interested in repetition and mark making as I am, this can often become one of my biggest challenges in painting...I must continually remind myself to not to overwork a painting and take moments to pause. It's about creating a painting that has layers of complexity while also keeping the initial concept and visual idea fresh and coherent. In order to this this,  I often must force myself to walk away from a painting for a couple of weeks in order to gain a fresh perspective.  Sometimes leaving town and having multiple days go by without seeing a painting can help achieve this. Well, I did this here, and returned back to my studio a few days ago, mixed up some fresh paint, went back into it, and am now I wait.... for when my painting finally says to me, "Okay, Cameron, you can sign me now! ". I hope that my upcoming show at The Drawing Room down in Cos Cob, CT that opens next week, will nudge this particular painting to send me this message!

Translations of South Road, Marlboro, VT

"Translations of South Road", Oil on panel, 10x10

New plein air paintings at Edgewater Gallery & Copley Society of Art

I have been quite enjoying my recent ventures painting en plein air around Southern Vermont and New Hampshire and I am including some of these paintings in two upcoming exhibitions that are quite exciting. Edgewater Gallery's current show titled, "Short Stories" will be featuring a few of these newest paintings of mine, in the great company of some really wonderful artists.

"Lifting Fog", oil on panel, 10x10

" October Turning", oil on panel, 10x10

"Shifting Yet Again", oil on panel, 10x10

The actual concept and installation of this exhibit is playful, witty and creative. The show is quite conceptual and hung in a way as if it was a story book written on the wall, and each artist is a line on a page, some with moments of pause, some with a collection of thoughts together, and some that slowly trickle like a piece of poetry. 

 In addition to Edgewater's small works show, I will be including one of my recent plein air oil paintings at the Copley Society of Art's "Holiday Small Works Show". 

"Simple Structures", oil on panel, 10x10

Open Studio during Gallery Walk, this Friday, November 4th

Things to come....last show of 2011 at The Drawing Room!

Come take a break from all those Thanksgiving leftovers and join me at The Drawing Room Boutique & Cafe. Here, I will be exhibiting my oil paintings and drawings of 2011.

Vermont Art Zine

http://vermontartzine.blogspot.com/2011/10/press-release-cameron-schmitz-disaster.html

Interview and Featured spotlight on WVTK Radio, aired October 3rd

Just finished installing my new show at the JACKSON GALLERY!

It's both delightful and nerve wracking to install a new exhibit but thanks to the help of artist, Kate Gridley, we got everything hung and in place in less than three hours. Yay! Oil paintings ranging from as large as 30x30 to as small as 6x6. A little something for everyone. I hope that you will have a chance to visit Middlebury Vermont's Town Hall Theater, and specifically the Jackson Gallery, located on the ground floor. Viewing hours are Mon-Sat, Noon- 5pm. The opening reception will he held during Middlebury's ArtsWalk on Friday, October 14 from 5-7pm

Remember, 20% of sale proceeds from this show will be donated directly to the 

Vermont Disaster Relief Fund!