Bio:
Mia Schulte was born in Turkey and grew up in a family that traveled and lived in many countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. Her careers have ranged from corporate work in Washington, D.C., to art teacher, to full time artist. Mia moved to Washington State 16 years ago, and currently resides in Olympia, Washington. Inspired by the natural beauty of the state, she incorporates the beauty of natural forms in her abstract compositions.
Mia’s art has been shown in exhibitions throughout Washington State since 2007. She was selected as one of the featured artists for an exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College entitled, “Drawn to Abstraction: Four Artists, Four Visions.” Her work has been shown in the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Design Center, Bellevue Art Museum, Tacoma Community College Gallery, as well as galleries and exhibitions in Seattle, Bellingham, Edmonds, Bellevue, Yakima, other cities throughout Washington State, and in Oregon (Coos Art Museum and Cannon Beach). She was also selected to be in a show at the Prince Street Gallery in New York City. She is a member of Women Painters of Washington.
Represented by: Women Painters of Washington Gallery, Seattle, WA, The Artist’s Gallery Olympia, WA
Artist Statement:
My art is a reflection of all of the influences in my life. To start with, my family was not only interested in seeing art, but studying art as well. We moved and traveled extensively, and there was always time to visit a museum, a gallery, or two!
We would often take a close look at the art. To this day, I am fascinated by the power of the individual stroke. I love this quote by Marina Abramovic : “Sometimes with art, it is important just to look.” When I was traveling in Italy, I will always remember turning the corner in a church and seeing this magnificent painting that took my breath away. The drama of the scene and the artist’s skill in how he treated light was so moving. I later discovered that it was done by Caravaggio, one of my favorite artists.
My career in the corporate world involved working on layouts and design. This reinforced my sense of the importance of balance and harmony in art.
I am drawn to artists that pour their emotions onto their work, such as Emily Carr and Franz Kline, Donatello to name a few. I also had two wonderful art teachers who believed in me and encouraged me to work hard and dig deep. They are Judith Smith and Bill McEnroe. Their words will always be with me.
I want my art to be meaningful. I often think about a painting long before the image materializes. I look to nature for my forms and shapes, and look to my emotions for my image.
I work on the floor so that I can have a 360-degree view and feel closer to the work. I apply multiple layers combining the various mediums such as acrylic, ink, pastel, charcoal, etc. The painting evolves with each new layer as I proceed to clarify the message/feeling that I want to express. I am interested in painting about my impressions of a place/experience, and thoughts about life in general.
Having studied and worked in various styles, I found that when I began working from memories, it was as if I had found home.