Barbara Schaff
Untitled
2009
mixed media
26" x 26"

About the work
From my earliest recollections, Asian calligraphy has inspired me by
its simplicity of line and the power of its poetic execution. In my work, I seek a pathway to the most spontaneous, unconscious expression of my heart.

My approach is intuitive rather than directive. The images originate from meditative, repetitive marks which flow from the charcoal, pastel, or paint onto the paper. I prefer to be led by the creative process itself. And so the Images that emerge from seemingly random marks become a reflection of my search for a personal Truth. I work in series to reveal the natural world - nests, landscape, flora, the manifestation of wind and weather.

In beginning a new work, I surrender my preconceptions about the subject and trust my instincts in the gesture, the color and the line. I strive to dig beneath the surface of things to discover the foundation of what connects us to our world and to each other.

By keeping my mind open to all possibility of what the work can be, I hope to enter into a wordless dialogue with the creative forces and become receptive to its counsel.

About the artist
Barbara Schaff has been a practicing studio artist for over 40 years. In addition to degrees earned at Syracuse University, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, she studied ink painting at the China National Academy of Fine Art in Hangzhou, China. As ceramist she was a recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship, and showed work at the Newark Museum, Morris Museum, and the NJ State Museum. As a painter she received a Pennsylvania State Council on the Arts Fellowship and 13 Residency Fellowships from The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her solo shows, include the James A Michener Art Museum, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ, and the Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT. Invitational shows include the William Penn Foundation, the Lancaster Museum of Art, and A.I.R. Gallery, New York. Schaff's work can be found in the permanent collections of the Fuller Craft Museum, The James A Michener Art Museum, the Newark Museum, the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, the New Jersey State Museum and The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, as well as numerous public and private collections nationally and internationally.