With decades of experience undertaking commissions for clients, Jon Schooler's color theory and unique approach to mixing oil paints has positioned him at the forefront of his field, helping define this arena of oil painting as we know it. Possessing an enduring ability to entice, delight, and uplift, Schooler's work highlights the extraordinary intricacies of color and provides a glimpse into his
personal relationship with color. He made his home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, from 1968 until 2003 and now calls Oak Street, New Orleans his new neighborhood. His work is represented in the New Orleans Museum of Art, and regularly exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, and held in the permanent collection of the new contemporary museum in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Casa Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. Artist Statement
When I wanted to learn to paint, I took canvases and shoved them under the shadows of the banana leaves on the patio. Instead of trying to achieve perfection, I started with perfection of nature and expanded from there. Back in the day when I was doing textile printing, I saved all the excess color in jars. It looked like Walt Disney through up in a jar. I figured I would end up with a big jar of brown. But, when I threw it on a screen, it would come out as separate, marbleized colors. Later, I created a method in which I covered the canvas with paint and manipulated them with syringes and knives. I don’t labor over a piece for months. I’ll do six pieces in one night. I believe in the law of averages. I would create twenty paintings and one would turn out really well. Eventually, one in twelve would turn out incredibly well. Over the years, that number has changed in my favor. Painting is an open window into the imagination. Art starts there. I begin with an idea which results in a physical reality that includes exciting, beautiful colors. Traveling through imagination I encounter colors that are alive and can communicate the same as advisers and allies. Colors are my friends. My work is more about colors and having fun with them, than anything else. When I start to paint, color is the only element that I can relate to. I believe each color possesses its own spirit. Pioneering throughout my imagination and mapping the process through oil paints and canvases, each painting ends up as a map documenting that place in the imagination. I like to do pieces with humor that reach the viewer. I aim for art that holds up, art that is positive with big energy; art that you can look at in the morning for a boost to start you day.
