December 2012 Cover
Cover Artist: Mindi Schultze  

I was born and raised in West Virginia, where my love for art started at a very young age. My parents introduced me to art lessons when I was around six years old. I first began painting in oil paints around eight years old under the instruction of a local painter in my hometown. Growing up, I entered every art contest I could and in 2000 I was accepted as one of eleven students in the state to attend the Governor’s School for the Arts in visual arts. This experience opened my eyes to other art forms and solidified my decision to proceed to college to study art even further. I attended West Virginia University and received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2007 and my certification to teach art in public schools. While at WVU, I met my husband who accepted a job which took us from the Appalachian Mountains to the beautiful, flat state of Delaware. After a year in crowded northern Delaware, we decided the beach life was for us, so we moved down to the southern part of the state and are now expecting our first child.

Shortly after moving to Delaware, I was able to achieve my goal of becoming an elementary art teacher. I now work in two different schools and get to introduce nearly 1,300 children to art and materials they have never gotten the opportunity to use. I also teach acrylic painting one evening a week at the local Michael’s craft store to all ages

I paint things that are familiar to me- Something I have seen, enjoyed, photographed, or has made a lasting memory. My husband and I love to travel and of course take many photographs, so I enjoy bringing those memories to life by transforming them to canvas. In my free time I work from my own photos, or paint the local scenery of the beaches, sand dunes, and gorgeous Delaware sunsets. I utilize mostly oils and watercolors but sometimes will use acrylics as well. I enjoy bringing out the true beauty in an object or the scenery around me by focusing on the colors, reflections, and light.

thalo: Can you give some background on Mount McKinley, this month’s featured artwork?

Mindi Schultze: This painting has a wonderful story behind it. I am often asked by friends and family to create a painting for them, and this has always been one of my favorites. Mount McKinley was requested by one of my husband’s best friends from college, as a gift for his new fiancé. They had just gotten back from a trip to Alaska, where he had proposed. They had taken the photograph of Mt. McKinley on their trip and he wanted it captured in a painting to forever remind them of the trip where they got engaged. The couple travels often together and takes wonderful photographs, so it was an honor for me to paint such a special memory for them!

th: When did you begin painting? When did you begin taking photographs? How do you feel your growth as an artist has been reflected in your work over the years?

MS: I started painting when I was about eight years old, when I began private lessons from a local artist in my hometown in West Virginia. She started me out in oils which I am forever thankful for because although I now use all mediums, oils are still my favorite. I started out by copying pictures of animals in magazines, and then began using my own pictures or painting still life. Instead of simply painting pictures of things that look nice, I now focus on special memories and paintings that will forever hold a special place in my or the owner’s hearts.

I have always been that girl that has a camera in her hand. I would be sure to capture every moment and memory whenever I was on a trip or just out with friends. However, it was when I worked as a preschool photographer for Lifetouch Portrait Studios for about a year when I got really interested in photography. I now love visiting local parks and photographing animals, flowers, and the ocean. After my experience with Lifetouch I have learned a lot about the proper posing and lighting when photographing people so I have done some engagement pictures and portraits rec

th: In addition to photography, being a fine artist and a photographer, you are also an elementary school teacher.  How do you try to inspire your students? What are some of your biggest challenges as an educator?  What are some of your greatest achievements?

MS: I focus on getting my students excited and interested in art in the context of what I am teaching them. For example, I like to start each project by introducing them to a new master artist that most have not heard of, then list fun facts that get them curious about who this person was and what they did to make them famous.  A big challenge is that elementary art is mostly a part time program in public schools today (hence why I work at two different schools) so the students are not exposed to art in relation to other subjects. I may see a class once in three weeks so achieving quality art projects while teaching them about art methodology can take a long time. Because they have art class so little, most students have not acquired experience with the many different mediums and art forms. However, it is still a great joy for me to get to introduce them to something new and allow them to create art with things they have never used before such as paints, clay, or chalk!

th: Many of your photographs and paintings include scenes from nature, why do you think you are drawn this?

MS: I have been lucky enough to spend my life thus far living in two beautiful states. I grew up in a small town and loved to go hiking, fishing, and spend time playing in the woods around my grandparents houses. The outdoors reminds me of my childhood, and I have always loved to paint things from my memories. While at college, I painted a very large picture of my grandparents back porch that was full of fruit from their trees ready to be canned, and another of a different grandparents’ house that my grandpa had built. These types of paintings remind me of my grandparents, my family, and where I came from.

Now my husband and I live in Delaware, about three miles from the ocean. We spend a lot of our time on the beach or exploring the many state parks. The birds, trees and flowers are very different here compared to what I grew up around so it is all even more beautiful and interesting to me.  Sometimes I see colors during a sunset, or in the tall grasses in the fall or spring, that are so beautiful I immediately want to capture them in a painting.

th: Do you have advice for aspiring artists?

MS: Because I was an art major in college I always had those people that would say “what will you do with that degree?” or “how do you expect to make money as an artist?” Don’t listen to those people! Art is something that you can always have for yourself, and it does not have to be something that makes you money. Although I am incredibly lucky and did finally land a teaching job where I get to be surrounded by art all of the time, I will never regret getting that degree because of how much I learned and how it ensured that I continue my practice forever.

To learn more about Mindi Schultze and her artwork click here.