Collage 1 (Original) Collage

Working in paper, Ms. Schmader creates meticulous, abstract landscape collages, which explore the connection between the tactile traces of a physical environment, an art-historic tradition of landscape aesthetics, and the potential for cultivating a new system of eco-semiotics. Each collage is comprised of paper that has been dyed with natural, earthly elements, stripped and torn, boiled, burned, waxed, crumpled — and then flattened. The resulting strips are then pressed together to create an intimate landscape. Inspired by ancient wood blocking techniques, the collages are carefully crafted to create the ‘block’ from which an edition of prints is created. Substituting the press for the scanner, the piece is manipulated and enlarged, creating a new relationship between block and print - one that when exhibited together allows for comparative examination. She currently lives and works in Austin, TX.