1980s "Parrots and Orchids" Hand Signed Offset Lithograph by Mary Jane Schmidt

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"Parrots & Orchids" Unframed limited edition offset lithograph art print on paper by American artist Mary Jane Schmidt. Hand signed … Read more "Parrots & Orchids" Unframed limited edition offset lithograph art print on paper by American artist Mary Jane Schmidt. Hand signed by the artist in green colored pencil. Size: 24-1/2" x 22-3/4". Edition Number: 265/300. Condition is Mint. 100 percent guarantee of authenticity. Certificate of Authenticity is included. Make an offer!

BIO:

Mary Jane Schmidt did not consciously decide to become an artist, she says matter-of-factly, "it just happened." As a youngster, she exhibited a natural talent for the arts, which she accepted, "as one accepts the color of one's eyes or complexion." As a grade school student, she participated in the Saturday morning art program at the Art Institute of Chicago, and when a high school art teacher encouraged Schmidt's parents to further develop her talents, she continued to pursue her art courses. From there, Schmidt went on to the University of Wisconsin, where she majored and graduated in Art Education; she also studied at the Academie Julian in Paris.

Schmidt, who describes herself as a quiet person who is neither particularly outgoing or verbose, expresses herself through her art -- abstract acrylics that come alive with color. Her inspiration, she notes, comes in many forms: "A painting, a passage in a book, ordinary household items -- their shapes and especially their relationships to their surroundings." But, she says, nothing inspires her as much as nature: "I am drawn to its small and intimate details. I love rocks, rivers, snags -- glimpses of creation, rather than vast and awesome panoramas; the abstract negative shapes created by entwined branches or scattered pebbles, a gnarled branch half awash in the sands of a rushing mountain stream."

Schmidt has won many awards -- from the American Watercolor Society, the National Society of Casein and Acrylic, and Watercolor U.S.A., to name a few. Her works have been collected by numerous corporations and institutions, including the Federal Reserve Bank, U.S. West Direct Mountain Bell, Trammel-Crow Company, Pepsi Cola Corporation, United Airlines, the Hilton and Marriott Hotels, Utah State University and the Littleton Historical Museum.

Schmidt creates harmony out of the diversity she finds around her, referring to her works as "antonyms of nature." "I try to create an environment of beauty and personal expression in each of my works -- whether it is an acrylic on canvas or paper, a mixed media piece, or a monotype," she explains. "I do not attempt to convey literal translations or comments, but allow the viewer to arrive at his or her own meaning for my work. Technically, I strive for movement and spontaneity, for color that is interesting as well as unusual. I want my work to wear well, so I include surprises for my viewers that are not apparent at first glance and are only seen upon closer inspection. I always strive to achieve a dynamic blend of drama, tension, contrast, and strength in my paintings."

Using acrylics, Schmidt is able not only to achieve a brilliant palette of colors, but to incorporate texture as well. She adds the sense of movement to a painting by using controlled drips, made by blowing on the wet paint, or she lifts the wet paint with a crumpled tissue to expose an underlying color in a textured pattern. While her canvases are smooth in composition, Schmidt's monotypes are grainy and textured; she uses both, however, to transform her love of nature into images that are more notional than natural.

Schmidt works anywhere from six to fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, and finds that if she is away from her studio for several days, she experiences some anxiety. She is determined that her work not become stagnant or predictable. "My goal," she states, "is never to become complacent. I feel that any artist who has ceased to explore and grow, can no longer be considered an artist at all." See less