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"I believe we are an aggregate of tiny bits: who we are and where we've been - or who we want or pretend to be," Schimmel Gold explained. "In response, the "tiles" represent those bits in color and texture and meaning." Schimmel Gold is a Synesthete - a person who experiences the fusion of two senses - a blending of color and numbers, taste and shape, etc. It's a rare phenomenon shared by only a handful of artists in the United States. She also has eidetic imagery, something like a photographic memory. "In my world, words, numbers, and sound are infused with color. I do see things differently. My brain is the projector - placing images on blank canvas. This is typical of those with eidetic imagery, and how the early masters "saw" and reproduced their subjects without them being present. My work is an algebraic equation. It is a mathematical progression." A self-described "art room brat", Schimmel Gold grew up in New York City. She painted and played piano from an early age. Later, she would often cut school to spend her days at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and other museums and galleries around the city. She completed college in just three years, attending four different schools. She holds both a B.A. in Psychology and a B.F.A. in Painting. Graduate studies took her in many different directions until she pulled out of academia and continued to explore the world on her own. "I am a life-long learner," the artist revealed. "I can never be bored, as long as there are concepts and ideas, interesting techniques to discover, materials to manipulate." Schimmel Gold began her professional career painting artistic murals, went on to design consumer goods and later produced retail displays and stage sets. She was always painting custom portraits on the side and is now dedicated to her art full-time. Schimmel Gold cites many sources of inspiration. Her travels around the world are one. She has studied in Europe, lived in the Middle East and visited Africa and Mexico, as well as many parts of the U.S. "It would be too simple to say I am inspired by Byzantine mosaics, or those by Louis Comfort Tiffany or Antonio Gaudi...it's both the assemblage and the color in the materials that moves me. I am process driven as well as image-centric," Schimmel Gold stated. She does reference one specific piece - a beautiful stained glass portrait in Venice, Italy. After attempts to replicate it's quality in painted glass and ceramic, she happened upon a simpler material - paper. After much experimentation, she developed her current process of combining painting and mosaic. Schimmel Gold also marries beauty and ecology. She takes society's concept of beauty - the ideal imagery in advertising - and chops it up to create a new image of beauty, while using materials that would otherwise go to waste. She often begins with recycled canvases found at garage sales and the paper items filling her mailbox. "I am a rabid recycler - compelled to upcycle unusual resources to create my work," Schimmel Gold said. There is incredible attention and dedication to craft - hand-cutting, hand-fitting each tiny piece. Each work includes thousands of pieces - from squares to shards. The process is completely "low-tech", without the use of computers, programs dies, or other technology. Each work of art may take a week or more to create. Schimmel Gold's work has received recognition in numerous media outlets including television, newspapers, magazines and websites. Many green publications and blog-sites applaud her creative use of recycled materials. Her work has been displayed at various juried shows, gallery exhibits and museums all over the West Coast. She also has an established clientele of private and corporate collectors from the U.S., Asia and Europe. Schimmel Gold currently has a solo exhibit at the Springs Preserve Museum in Las Vegas, Nev., through Mar. 14, 2010. The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre cultural institution designed to commemorate Las Vegas' history and to provide a vision for a sustainable future. For more information about the exhibit and the museum, go to www.springspreserve.org. Sandhi Schimmel Gold works and lives in Phoenix, Ariz. with her husband, Norm, and daughter, Alexsandra. To find out more about the artist and her work, visit www.schimmelart.com. All images courtesy and copyright of S A Schimmel Gold. |
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