Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Schaefer.
Hi Alex, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Los Angeles, California in 1969. I am often with my art supplies, easel and a canvas on the sidewalks of the bustling city, painting streetscapes en Plein-air capturing the light and the movement. I also like camping and painting in the local mountains; wherever I am, I put down the world before me with boldness and truth. I studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Upon graduation in 1991, I spent eight years as an artist in the video game industry, working first for Disney Interactive, then became the team that made the game Spyro the Dragon 1, 2 and 3. After I left the digital world, I moved on to teach foundation Painting, Drawing and Composition at the Art Center for 12 years. My work is wide-ranging from traditional plein-air landscapes, cityscapes and street scenes to figurative nudes, portraits and abstract and imagination paintings. In 2011 I gained international recognition for his art with a series of banks on fire in protest of financial crimes. My main influences are the painterly “old masters”, the early French Impressionists and the San Francisco Bay area figurative and abstract artists of the 1950’s and the London School.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I can never say that my life has been difficult. There have been obstacles in my way but it’s mostly my own ignorance that has slowed me down. I started playing the Art World with no idea what it was or if there were rules and criteria… I feel like ten years on, I’ve got some things figured out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m most known for paintings of banks in fire made in the wake of the economic collapse and subsequent bailouts starting in 2009. These paintings are fortunately also “plein air” paintings which is a painting practice I enjoy most; set up your art supplies right there on the street corner or in the woods and make a painting on the spot. It’s a unique skill these days and most painters never become adept at painting from life, preferring the photograph. I enjoy working from photos but prefer painting direct from nature.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I have lived in Southern California my whole life so I love the weather the best. Ideal for working outdoors.
Pricing:
- Non burning bank paintings sell for about $5 to $7 per square inch
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: paintwithalex.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/paintwithalex
- Twitter: twitter.com/paintwithalex
- Youtube: youtube.com/paintwithalex
