Derek Schneider
Ocean Life, 2024
Oil on canvas
Height 38 cm x Width 38 cm
Artwork is framed and ready to hang & comes with certificate of authenticity
Living by the beach we look forward to summer with great expectation. It's still a few months off before people young and old find their way to the lapping waters of the bay beach. The colours of sunlight abound and i enjoy watching people enjoying themselves and making those special memories that shape so many of our experiences, when things were a little more carefree without a worry in the world. This painting was done with speed, to capture a moment in time, the life, the vibrancy the emotion. It should see us through the bleakest winter days and deliver the prospect of great times to be had.
Artist Bio: Ever since I could grasp my first crayon i have felt an urge to capture and create ideas and things that inspire. The process of ‘creating’ is one of constant learning, the result often a launching pad for the next inspiration. Graduating from Graphic Design at RMIT I count myself amongst the fortunate few to be able to spend my working life as an Art based Creative Director doing what I love. Alongside my professional working journey “painting” has often had to take a back seat, a quiet companion that only on occasion jumped into the front seat and took control. Over the last few years the ‘driver’ has taken the wheel more often, clocking up many more miles primarily painting in oils and at times acrylic. Looking back at the painters that really resonate and inspire I would have to say Fred Williams, John Olsen, Clarice Beckett and Euan Uglow first jump to mind, but really the list is long and varied and likely to be different if asked another day. Color, design and form tend to dominate in my work. I refer to myself as a figurative’ painter yet experiment with the idea of ‘loosening up’, a style that is forever evolving. I enjoy capturing “life” – people often depicted from a birds-eye perspective, offering a somewhat graphic interpretation of figures framed against largely monochromatic backdrops. I imagine the little pleasures filling their minds, each in their own “happy place”. These little sub stories amidst the shared experiences are painted to be re-lived at home whenever you wish. This shared connection with the many collectors to date brings great satisfaction and if that leads to many more trips to the beach and snow then I’ll only be too happy to accept the challenge. I have painted numerous commissions to brief, usually to include families or individuals and love how only the new owners know “that’s us” there in the wave or on the chairlift. You will see variation in the works, conscious to not become a slave to my own ‘style” and subject matter and will continue to driven to capture a mood, a message, an emotion.