Ursula Schneider |

The Bear and The Land

The bear woodcuts and paintings below originated from experiences I had while hiking and drawing above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. I have been there four times. The land is vast, fragile, and its life is spread far apart. The bear traverses the land alone in search of food. He walks silently, his moves are measured and swift. His coat is bleached from the sun. In the presence of a bear, you realize that he is absolute power.

In these woodcuts and paintings, I am exploring the interconnectedness of the bear and the land. I translate how I saw the bear in the landscape as well as how I experienced his constant presence in my mind. My images are a merging of reality and imagination.

GRIZZLI — Grizzly. Mokuhanga woodcut, 14 x 17 in, 2004.

BearInMind — Bear In Mind. Mokuhanga woodcut, 14 x 17 in, 2004.

BEARIT — Bear It. Mokuhanga woodcut, 14 x17, 2004.

FORBEAR1 — Fore Bear. Mokuhanga woodcut, 14 x 17 in, 2004.

Bearstory#4 — Bear Story #4. Pigment and urethane on laminated nylon, 11.5 x 23 in, 2003.

Drawing — Artist Book. Pencil on paper, 8 x30 in, 2003.

070914-Ursula Schneider — Bear In Mind. Pigments, acrylic on laminated panel, 13 x 92 in, 2003.

Arctic Refuge Landscapes

sch_160_trail_700x213 — A Trail: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Woodcut, edition 20, 39 x 12 in, 1999

sch_050_canning_599x70 — Rain Canning River. Nylon, acrylic and pigment, 83 x 11 in, 1998

sch_210_demarcbay_744x141 — Demarcation Point. Nylon, acrylic and pigment, 56 x 39 in, 1998

sch_120_sheenjek_695x96 — Sheenjek River. Nylon, acrylic and pigments, 59 x 8 in, 1998

sch_130_raincann_724x246 — Rain Canning River II. Soft pastel on paper, 44 x 15 in, 1998

sch_140_intsection_691x202 — Marsh Fork/Canning Intersection. Acrylic on wood, 61 x 17 in, 1998

sch_060_spring_599x101 — Spring Creek. Nylon, acrylic and pigment, 80 x 14 in, 1997

sch_080_whale_599x116 — Whale Mountain. Soft pastel on paper, 53 x 10 in, 1996

sch_030_kongakut3_599x126 — Kongakut River III. Soft pastel on paper, 51 x 9 in, 1996

sch_150_canning_746x253 — Canning River. Woodcut, edition 30, 38 x 13 in, 1996

sch_010_daar2_599x84 — DAAR II. Soft pastel on paper, 53 x 8 in, 1995

sch_300_konga_1964x416 — Kongakut River. Soft pastel on paper, 52 x 12 in, 1995

sch_070_wait_599x81 — Wait: I See Something. Acrylic on wood, 78 x 12 in, 1995

sch_100_sadlers_732x111 — Sadlerochit Mountains. Acrylic on wood, 78 x 12 in, 1995

sch_170_sadcht_734x149 — Sadlerochit Mountains. Woodcut, edition 30, 26 x 5.5 in, 1995

sch_180_kongkt_732x164 — Kongakut River, Woodcut, edition 30, 25 x 6 in, 1995

sch_190_icyreef_744x70 — Icy Reef. Soft pastel on paper, 53 x 5.5 in, 1995

sch_205_demarcn_500x343 — Demarcation Bay. Soft pastel on paper, 52 x 10 in, 1995

sch_040_mtnclouds_599x140 — Mountains and Clouds. Soft pastel on paper, 39 x 9 in, 1994

sch_090_canning_738x183 — Canning River. Acrylic on wood, 56 x 14.5 in, 1994

sch_110_marshfork_730x125 — Marsh Fork. Acrylic on wood, 72 x 12.5 in, 1994

Ursula Schneider was born in Switzerland. She attended Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich and Keramischefachschule in Bern, and holds an undergraduate degree in ceramics from Switzerland.

In 1968 she moved to the United States and graduated in 1972 with an MFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute.

She lived and worked in New York from 1980-2004 and is now in Rockland County. She taught painting at the San Francisco Art Institute and at Cooper Union, and currently teaches painting at Sarah Lawrence College.

Her artworks include pastel drawings, paintings, small-scale sculptural paintings and woodcuts, working on one medium at a time. These processes complement and enrich each other by stimulating a fresh approach and allowing for experimentation. Drawing from observation in the landscape has been the basis for the work. The focus is on seeing the inherent qualities of the observed and to find the appropriate translation for the medium used.

Ursula Schneider was represented by Braunstein/Quay Gallery in San Francisco from 1974-2011 and she was a member of the A.I.R. Gallery in New York from 1996-2006. Since 2010 Ursula Schneider is represented by Ruth Baggett Gallery, Paducah, KY and in 2012 she joined the Marina Gallery in Cold Spring, NY.

Selected one person shows: Kunstmuseum Bern Switzerland; UC Art Museum Berkley, CA; Oakland Museum, CA; Forum Febicus, Switzerland; Braunstein Gallery, CA; A.I.R Gallery, NY.

Selected group shows: Museum of Fine Arts, Forth Worth, TX; Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum, NY; San Francisco Museum, CA; Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, CA; Rockland Center for the Arts, NY.

Ursula Schneider’s work is held in private collections nationally and in Europe, and is represented in the collection of the UC Berkley Art Museum, Di Rosa Preserve in CA, U.S. Department of State, Auditorium Netzwerk, Germany, The Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS Security, Bell Savings Art Plus, Security Pacific Bank, CA, and Swiss Bank Corporation.

National Endowment: Major Fellowship Grant, Oakland Museum: New Talent Award, SwissGovernment: Kunststipendium.

Studio: Garnerville Arts and Industrial Center, Garnerville, NY.

Learn more about Ursula Schneider and her work at www.ursulaschneider.com.

The Bear and The Land

Arctic Refuge Landscapes

Share this:

Like this:

Related