Jay Schmidt
photo from Bozeman Magpie
Artist Statement
I view the world as a runaway train, traveling full speed ahead, consuming the planet at a breath-taking rate. There is no guiding wisdom or creative vision that determines our path. We are just moving forward and fast, seemingly incapable of changing our destructive course. As an artist who has always used imagery to define myself and my context within the larger world, I find an unlimited array of topics at hand. These days I make art that addresses the contemporary issues of endless wars, economic injustice, environmental destruction and political dysfunction. But my ultimate goal is to make good paintings and sculptures through a process that involves not just subject matter, but formal concerns, technical skill and intellectual rigor, as well as a fair amount of intuition, outrage and humor.
Since leaving Montana State University, my focus has been entirely in my studio. At the same time I have been very fortunate to have become involved with a couple of collaborative art making groups, Paintallica and the Living Breathing Thing, that have been a major source of energy and inspiration. These extensive collaborative experiences have led to profound changes that have challenged me to produce work that is more determined and ambitious. My paintings and sculptures are now at a larger scale and integrate processes that combine raw energy with more politically forthright narratives.
Artist Statement
I view the world as a runaway train, traveling full speed ahead, consuming the planet at a breath-taking rate. There is no guiding wisdom or creative vision that determines our path. We are just moving forward and fast, seemingly incapable of changing our destructive course. As an artist who has always used imagery to define myself and my context within the larger world, I find an unlimited array of topics at hand. These days I make art that addresses the contemporary issues of endless wars, economic injustice, environmental destruction and political dysfunction. But my ultimate goal is to make good paintings and sculptures through a process that involves not just subject matter, but formal concerns, technical skill and intellectual rigor, as well as a fair amount of intuition, outrage and humor.
Since leaving Montana State University, my focus has been entirely in my studio. At the same time I have been very fortunate to have become involved with a couple of collaborative art making groups, Paintallica and the Living Breathing Thing, that have been a major source of energy and inspiration. These extensive collaborative experiences have led to profound changes that have challenged me to produce work that is more determined and ambitious. My paintings and sculptures are now at a larger scale and integrate processes that combine raw energy with more politically forthright narratives.
other works.......
Installation view at the Holter Museum of Art
Prodigal Son, oil on canvas, 216 X 167, 2013
Oops! oil on board, 16 X 24, 2010
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The Black Snowman Speaks, acrylic on canvas, 58 X 93, 2011
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