Stacey M. Schultze was raised in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts where she began her investigation in the arts. Spurred by her teachers to study the masters, she became enthralled with the painterly strokes and vibrant pigments of first the impressionists, then the German expressionists, followed by the abstract expressionists. These early influences are evident in her exploration of color and gestural line. Schultze received her art degree from Gordon College with a concentration in painting. Her professors’ insistence on a foundation of figure based learning met no conflict from Schultze who eagerly studied the human form in both drawing and painting courses. Coupled with studio classes at neighboring Montserrat College, Schultze was well on her way to combining the abstract push-pull techniques of Hans Hoffman and the more figurative fluid lines of Matisse.
Marriage and childrearing briefly brought a welcome distraction on the path to becoming a professional artist. As a Marine wife, Schultze has had the opportunity to travel with her family and share her art with numerous communities along the eastern seaboard, showing work in SC, NC, VA, PA, and MA. Inspired by teaching her own children foundational art concepts, she extended her expertise to the local elementary school offering enrichment classes in the arts starting, as she once did, with the masters. These classes prompted Schultze to open her own art school and gallery in North Carolina. There she taught people of all ages, connected local instructors with members of the community, and showcased talent from the immediate area. A job transfer opened a new chapter for Schultze who decided to focus on growing her own catalogue, showing this work, and refining her style.
Today Schultze works from both her Fredericksburg, VA and Otis, MA studios. In 2014 she was selected to show in the Member’s Gallery at Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts in Fredericksburg, VA, and the Hillman Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburg, PA. In addition, she has had five solo shows this year and has scheduled several more for 2015. Her work is at home in private collections across the country. Schultze’s dedication to a lifelong career in the arts is evident by her consistent involvement in regional and national juried exhibitions, her ongoing pursuit for applicable venues, and a diligent studio practice.
Schultze plans to continue exploring color, line, and gesture in both pure abstraction and figurative abstraction. Inspired by theological and philosophical ideas and how they pertain to a modern lifestyle, Schultze works through these concepts in a layered painting process juxtaposing wet and dry media which results in an elevation of the fleeting to a finished product. She focuses on harnessing the play of color, bringing forth form through line, and accentuating the casual relationship between invisible thoughts or perceived truth and the concreteness of visual art. Her pieces bring a sense of familiarity without losing the intrigue of mystery. As described by a fellow artist, “She dances with color and line.”
For more information, please visit her website at www.staceymschultze.com
