A bit about me
Chloe Elliott Schmid
So it likely goes with out saying but - I love to paint!
Being creative is my passion, I love being an artist and in living my joy-filled purpose I bring myself to the easel and let my sould take over.
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I have been pretty obsessedwith painting. When you are an artist (painter in my case) - you tend to be!
I always wanted to be an artist - and I am astounded everyday that I get to do this for my real-life-job. If you want to know more about me, you're in the right place.
Materials​​
I work in oils over acrylic mostly, on cradled wood panels or canvas but it varies project to project. Currently I especially ​enjoy using mixed media - acrylic base, some fun mediums such as moulding paste to make a canvas texture dissapear, finishing in oils and adding in soft or oil pastel, paint pens, graphite pencil, pastel pencil as I go - to create exciting differences and variety in the marks in my latest work.
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Style​
My style is a culmination of many years trying a whole-bunch-of-different-things out, and always coming back to wanting to express “the thing” but in this specific, stylized way.
“The thing” is always the concept, idea, emotion, state of being that is trying to be conveyed in each piece. If the subject is landscapes, then I will go out and into the spaces and gather resource materials, “how does the place feel, how do I feel in the place?”, including sketches and photographs. When it comes to portraiture, mostly these are personal self expression. “They are self-portraits without looking a thing like me” They don’t need to be, as the physical appearance of the person is not what the piece is about. Depending on what each piece requires, some use reference photos and some are purely from imagination. I'm fairly good with portraiture from so many years gaining a grounding in the basics, and working from a realism perspective. And can copy realism from a photo like many artists - this however soon gets a bit dull. I want to add whats not seen! What is that beyond the physical appearance? how can I capture a feeling? Create a scene to symbolise people, places , events, emotions without it needing to be literal? This has allowed me to achieve a successful unique style that has taken the general principles from realism, and create a sort of surrealist-modern-folk-art style. Apparently. Recent portraiture has been heavily inspired by deep introspection and symbolism using birds, clouds, angel wings.
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"the creative purpose is always and foremost about the creative act"
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" I have always known, deep down, that I needed to pursue my inexhaustable desire to paint and draw and make stuff, yet for many years despite always painting or creating in someway, and being relentlessly drawn to it, I always made excuses. Until summer 2020.
Life took an unexpected turn with the global pandemic - I was suddenly offered a bit of time with no commitments on it, then the painting began to flow one after the other, until I had a complete series of work. The following summer I joined up with my artist mother (helenelliott.net) and we held an exhibition which turned out to be an astonishing sell out show!!
Blew my mind. I had sold the odd painting and commissions over the years before this, but not a whole series. The first painting was bought before the doors even opened for the exhibition. A couple knocked on the door while we were setting up and headed straight to the piece they liked and that was the most magical beginning to this incerdible adventure.
The next show after that was also a sell out show. Truly amazing. If I didn't know this was for me before this, I did now.
I am still so overwhelmed by this, it has given me proof positive that this is the direction for me. We still hold these exhibitions together annually - and continue to have wonderful successes!
I am continually gaining insight on being a creator. That even with the wonderful achievements and opportunities that continue to come my way in regard to my artistic career, and the gratitude I hold for these, the creative purpose is always and foremost about the creative act. There is something indescribable about the thrill, the highs and lows of the creative process, it is almost never complete... I don't think it can ever be complete. My need to create the most "perfect" piece that embodies this thing I cannot name, is all consuming. So I make and make and make again."
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With infinite love and gratitude x
