‘Come Rain or Shine” Art Exhibit

‘Come Rain or Shine’ is an art exhibit that includes work depicting elements of weather. Juried by Francine Renee Schneider. Reception will be Friday, April 14, 6:00-8:00pm. Work will be on display from March 28 to April 22, 2023.

Here is our juror’s artist statement:

Francine Renée Schneider

After my BFA in painting from Syracuse University and post graduate studies at the L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, I began showing my work at the Raymond Duncan Gallery in Paris, France and in Brussels, Belgium. Subsequently, I moved back to the United States, and gained exclusive representation at the Henry Howells Gallery in Soho, New York City. After gaining some recognition in my long-term association with them, I was encouraged to produce works specifically for my first solo exhibition with them. However, this was drastically derailed when a MS attack on my hands that not only eliminated my ability to paint, it also left me unable to even write my own name. I never expected to ever be able to paint again.

Consequently, this compelled me to abandon my interest in art, and pursue other interests sending me to graduate school for counseling psychology and clinical social work for over seven years, then into private practice as a psychotherapist.

I was surprised that after I had a thriving private practice in pursuing methods to help my clients deal with an assortment of anxiety related issues using specialized drawing techniques, I had stumbled back into my own creative endeavors and “Art found me”, so to speak. So, with some trepidation, I left the security of my success in private practice behind and made art my soul priority by attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia at age 60! I was ultimately awarded the honor and distinction of being named an Alumni Fellow at PAFA.

While attending PAFA I was fortunate to rent a condo in Philadelphia with a spectacular view of the city, the Schuylkill River and the Expressway. Each night’s view was like a beautiful and grand theatrical event.

Because I have multiple sclerosis, getting my service/mobility dog, Sable, freed me to explore the Schuylkill Boardwalk at ground level at night. Her large 120-pound presence transformed me from an old lady with a cane, a target, into a confident woman who could linger and appreciate the colors, views and awesome reflections bouncing off the river at night.

That wondrous experience in Philadelphia has continued to inform my work and is often based upon represents snippets of time and space caught between night and day and often by the night itself. The dance between man-made light and natural light often look choreographed by something greater than their elements. My goal is to share the visual beauty of the scene but as importantly, the feelings they evoke in my paintings.

Website: https://www.francinereneeschneider.com

Email: paintingpaintingsagain@gmail.com