The Modern Alchemist
Upon first glance, Daniel Schmidt, 33, a new adjunct art professor at Citrus College, seems to blend into the student body. His long blond hair, multiple facial piercings, tattoos and laid back style further remove him from what one would consider a professor. Schmidt teaches Intro to Art Beginning Drawing which will have its second term in Winter 2020.
At times he’s been mislabeled as hyper-masculine, which is a sociological term for the over magnification of conventional male behavior such as aggression, sexuality and physical strength. His coworker and friend, Nicole Quesada said, “Daniel is an interesting guy. When you first meet him he doesn’t come off as outwardly friendly per say. I guess you can also base first impressions on the situation in which you came across him. I met him at work. Despite the fact that sometimes he might come off “cocky” he’s actually super humble.”
Interactions with Schmidt prove likewise. It takes a bit for him to open up, but once he does more of his personality shines through. Upon getting to know him, he gives the impression that he is knowledgeable, thoughtful, honest and funny. “Like I said the dude has layers! You may think one thing about him, but boy, most of the time you are so wrong. He’s quite wonderful,” said Quesada. This is why the saying “never judge a book by its cover” should always have precedence when meeting new people.
Schmidt does not have a schedule for when he sets out to produce his art, but usually between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. he finds that he is most productive. He likes to listen to podcasts while working, The Dollop being his favorite, but does not limit himself to one genre. This carries over into his real life. He has a multitude of interests beyond just creating artwork. Schmidt has also ventured in photography and music. He has a drum set and guitars set up amongst his art materials.
Schimidt stretches his own canvases, which in essence is part of the art itself. It is also more economical than purchasing pre-stretched ones and allows him to control the amount of space he chooses for each piece. Most of his paintings are on round canvases, as they provide a sense of fluidity. The roundness is organic, allowing the piece to continue past the edge leaving it boundless. He states “rectangular canvases can cut the piece off suddenly, not allowing you to imagine what might be happening off frame.”
Less than two years ago, Schmidt himself was a student, which required him to constantly produce work. Philosophy professor, Rudy Saldana of Citrus College made a lasting impression on him. Scmidt said “His philosophy of religion class changed my life. I took that class at a very important existential time in my life and it really cleared things up and calmed me down.” Grateful and wanting to give back the community college world, Scmidt, chose to return to as a professor.
There is often a stigma attached to youthful people taking on positions of high regard such as teaching. Students tend to feel more at ease with older teachers, identifying them as parental figures, scholars and more experienced. When asked how students respond to him as a professor, he said he is perplexed by the lack of communication from them. Schmidt said that one would have to try and fail at his class as in the requirements are simple: show up and make something. “As a younger professor, I feel like I can stay connected with how rapidly changing the world is,” stated Schmidt
Upon graduating with his MDFA, he kept with this momentum and has not stopped fabricating distinctive pieces. Recently he was an artist featured at the Citrus College Art Gallery, in a faculty show called Under The Influence. His painting “I’m Doing Good, How Are You?” The lightness and humor of the painting is in direct contrast to his sculpture.
His drapery sculpture called, I Have All The Answers, is hauntingly eerie. A It seems to take on a human likeness but is only a shell the inside hollow and foreboding. The sculpture invokes an internal reflection. Are we as humans only shells unaware of our existence? The flow from the use of muslin fabric meeting with hardness of concrete creates a juxtaposition, by putting two opposite elements next to each other. Taking cues from the overall state of society, Schmidt has incorporated this into his art which he considers to be a reflection of his own anxiety of life and the socio-political norms of today.
Schmidt does not create his art specially for others appreciation, but his body of work speaks to many. While painting is his chosen medium, his sculptures, which can be considered neo-brutalism, often steal the show. The term neo-brutalism does not refer to being forcefully hostile but simply “raw concrete” in French. He has dabbled with various mediums, exploring with chemical patinas, which is the blue-green color that happens with oxidation and age. “When I make sculptures, I use primarily steel, concrete and fabrics. Sometimes l will finish the sculpture by painting it or applying a chemical patina. When making two dimensional works I use various pigments, acrylics, chemical patinas, resin, paper, and concrete.” Some of his work can even be regarded as modern alchemy. His creations vary from piece to piece, some can be considered a series while others are stand alone works.
His favorite artist is Christian Rex van Minnion, an American contemporary artist, who mixes pop surrealism and Dutch Golden Age. Schmidt stated that he is “best painter that has ever lived, will have ever lived.” He said that he could stare at his paintings for hours at a time always finding something new. Even when speaking of the artist, Schmidt has a look of awe when describing his works. There is something beautiful and creepy about van Minnion’s body of work. Some are brightly colorful and cartoonish mixed with traditional oil paintings while others are monotone still life florals.
He has a commissioned piece in a Pomana apartment complex. While these pieces are not his preferred way of showcasing his talents, he has done a few. Not all of his works of art have such deep meaning behind them. Some pieces are just creations or just his way of expressing how he was feeling in the moment and others are just because they look nice. Schmidt is an artist always restless and feeding the need to create
