Watermelon Sugar Print

Samantha Schneider is an accomplished oil painter currently residing in OH. Graduating in 2021 from the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) with a double major in painting and drawing. Schneider carved her artistic niche with massive figurative works. A strong focus on cinema and the idea of “playing a role” she creates self portraits that take on their own lives as different characters. From setting up the scene, to the reference photos she takes, each brushstroke she makes and the figures portrayed. The process of creation within every step is as important as the final product. Schneider's artistic vision draws inspiration from the theatrical staging of Renaissance paintings, as well as lighting and composition from modern sci-fi, fantasy and thriller movies. Enamored by her own individual existence and the many facets of the conscious and subconscious mind. She dives into emotion, memory, and change. Who we were, who we are and who we are becoming. How people are always in a state of change and never truly have a grasp of self. Captivated by the idea that one being can have conflicting thoughts and inner turmoil, that even within one mind there can be multiple paths of thought. People are so complex and many things all at once. Her paintings are a pursuit of self discovery within the human psyche. Schneider's academic journey was marked by exceptional studio practice, earning her the Eastman (1912)-Bolton Memorial Prize. Additionally, she was honored with the Mary Seymour Brooks Scholarship for Painting and the Liza Noble '48 Scholarship for Excellence in Painting during her college years. After graduating she has exhibited work in multiple solo and group shows, with her most notable debut in the Mansfield Art Centers first ever triennial ‘Proximity of Fate’ which featured local, national and internationally known artists as Michael Coppage and Kehinde Wiley. She was the only artist to sell all works included in the exhibition, breaking the Mansfield Art Center sales record.