“Love Letter to Tracey”
Oil on canvas
40 in. x 60 in.
Available through the artist
Biography
Olaf Schneider (b.1964) is a husband, father of two, and grandfather of six. He studied at the Ontario College of Art as well as Sheridan College. In 1986, while painting large scale outdoor advertising billboards for Mediacom, he acquired a strong practical foundation that would become integral to his work today.
He is greatly inspired by mentor Ron Grieg and Norman Rockwell.
For Olaf each piece represents an intense exploration and refinement of his personal pictorial sensitivities, especially as they relate to beauty, form, light, and shade. Composition, color, and craftsmanship are all elements that become the building blocks of his work. Olaf is a prolific painter who is inspired by the power and diversity of the northern landscape, and anything that needs a “second look”. An explorer by nature, he travels across North America and Europe to gain inspiration.
“Each dab I make is stimulated by the details that I observe. I hope to see what others miss and then make it compelling. I push and alter the colors to suit my ravenous needs and I love to improvise on the spot.”
Olaf has a passion for a variety of subjects. Through his art, he expresses his love for life and his affinity with vibrant colour.
“I like to use expressive and thick impasto brushstrokes or soft blended strokes to render a sense of movement and texture giving the painting a life of its own. My interpretation of colour also sets the dynamic mood. The tones often range from the darkest to the lightest in an effort to achieve maximum drama. This creative combination is spontaneous and intuitive.”
To keep his mind clear and focused he limits his exposure to all the media ‘noise’ we generally are pummelled with daily. He does not watch TV and restricts his time on the computer. He starts his day with God in prayer and meditation. Painting six to ten hours a day is common practice. Equally important to Olaf is continued growth and learning.
“I want to always have an open mind so that new ideas may come in. In the mind of an expert, there are few possibilities, but in the mind of an amateur they become endless. This is a God given gift and I value it greatly. If I am able to bring emotion, understanding, comfort, or joy into another’s life then I am using it wisely in His glory.”
Philosophy
Art is a celebration of life, and the making of art is an expression of the sacred spiritual discipline. If a painting could, for a moment, capture the attention and awareness of the viewer through visual harmony, carry on a dialogue, bring the viewer further than the call of the senses, beyond a momentary concern for the past or future, to a timeless state free from thought and self consciousness. Then the work has approached the realm of art, the realm of life. Art and money don’t mix.
View more of Olaf’s work at http://www.olaf.ca.
Solo Exhibitions
2016 – Tilting at Windmills Gallery, Vermont
2016 – Broadway Galleries, Virginia
2015 – Westmount Gallery, Ontario
2015 – Woodbine Raceway
2015 – International Artist Magazine June issue
2014 – Cannes France
2005–2013 – Westmount Gallery, Toronto
2011 – Royal Gallery, Rhode Island
2009 – Mercedes Benz, Ontario
2009 – Homer Watson Gallery
2008 – Gallery DeLisle
2005 – Hummingbird Centre
2004 – McMichael Gallery, Kleinburg
2003–2006 – International Artists Magazine
1998–2004 – Formula 1, Montreal & Indianapolis
Group Exhibitions
2014 – Chapel St. Bernardin, France
2014 – Le Cannet, France
2008–2013 – Westmount Gallery, Toronto
2013 – The Louvre, SNBA Salon, France
2009–2013 – Edgewood Orchard Gallery, Wisconsin
2013 – Galerie Demante, California
2012 – The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists
2012 – Portrait Society of America
2011 – Thornwood Art Gallery, Texas
2011 – Canadian Heritage Art Gallery
2010–2013 – Toronto International Art Fair
2010 – Canadian Heritage Art Gallery, Toronto
2010 – Thornwood Art Gallery , Texas
2009 – Boston International Art Fair
2007–2011 – Miller Gallery, Ohio
2007 – Scottsdale Art Gallery, Arizona
2006 – Kipling Gallery Woodbridge, Ontario
2006 – Manitou Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006 – Latino America International
2004–2006 – Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum
2002–2005 – Hummingbird Centre, Toronto
2000 – Living Arts Centre, Mississauga
1998–2002 – Molson Indy, Toronto & Vancouver
Publications
American Art Collector Magazine
Arabella Magazine
Houston Lifestyles and Homes
Ducks Unlimited 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
Etobicoke Guardian
Scarborough Mirror
Vaughan Weekly
George Chuvalo Fight Against Drugs
International Artist
Art Fix
WPBS Television
Algonquin Park news
The Huntsville Forrester
24 Hours
Toronto Life
2004–2006 Magazin’art Biennial Guide
Creative Source 1989, 2004
Corporate and Private Collections
Ripley’s Aquarium Canada, Toronto
PCO – Construction Ltd.
The Haven on the Queensway, Toronto
The Good Shepard, Toronto
Mackenzie Financial, Toronto
Toronto Dominion Bank, Toronto
Ducks Unlimited 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Make a Wish Foundation
George Chuvalo Fight Against Drugs Foundation, Canada
Paul Smith’s College, New York
Make a Wish Foundation, Toronto
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto & Montreal
Jessie Centre for Teenagers, Toronto
Ontario Provincial Police, Canada
Labatt Breweries Ltd. Ontario, Canada
Evian Canada
Gilles Villeneuve Museum, Quebec
Chapters Indigo Canada
Mercedes-Benz, Toronto
Ford Ontario
Ferrari North America
Apple Canada
Governor General of Madrid, Spain
L.L.C.B.O.
Art Gallery of Ontario
Centennial College
Van Moorehem Barristers, Ontario
Block Parents Foundation, Canada
Current Gallery Representation
Chloe Gallery, San Francisco CA 415.531.5748
Eclipse Gallery, Huntsville ON 705.783.2579
Emma Butler, St. John’s NFLD 709.739.7111
Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa OK 918.664.4732
MountainMist Gallery, Cashiers NC 407.620.2685
Palm Avenue Fine Art, Sarasota FL 941.388.7526
Rendezvous Gallery, Vancouver BC 604.687.7466
Spa Fine Art Gallery, Saratoga NY 203.226.6934
Tilting Windmills Gallery, Manchester VT 802.362.3022
Westmount Gallery, Toronto ONT 416.239.5427
Westport Gallery, Westport CT 203.226.6934
