On Friday, March 1, 2013, the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center presents a solo exhibition by German artist Heidi Schmitz. The exhibition will feature a medley of her acrylic and watercolor paintings.
In her hometown of Munich, Heidi Schmitz is a highly respected member of the arts community with numerous solo exhibitions to her credit. In 2009 and 2012, she had exhibits in the Orangerie, an old green house that has been turned into a famous exhibition hall in the English Garden in the center of Munich.
Heidi`s painting history goes back to the early eighties when she started with paintings on silk and porcelain. She has studied with various European artists, including Bernhard Vogel, Gesine Frölich and Alexander Jeanmaire in Germany, Austria, Italy and the U.S.
Heidi works in a variety of media, including watercolors, acrylics and mixed media. Heidi did her first watercolor paintings in the mid-80s. Though very realistic and detailed, her paintings now go far beyond classical aquarelles, with different varnishes and glazes.
“Watercolor paintings are for me an excellent means to express and portray atmospheres and emotions,” says Heidi, who often uses watercolor pens and ink. Thus, her aquarelles transport feelings and impressions rather than a photographic reproduction of an object. In order to achieve these effects she sprinkles and splashes with colors, and blurs some objects while highlighting others. Her watercolors depict European landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes.
In the year 2000, Heidi Schmitz found a new passion in acrylic painting. “The magic of abstract painting is to work with many different techniques and materials (e.g. coffee, tar or wax…). My ambition is to combine and unify colors and forms in one painting in order to stress the tension and fascination of the painting,” Heidi says.
Several layers of materials and forms provide the paintings with an extraordinary depth and expressive power. Each painting has its own center of gravity that is counterbalanced by lighter colors or forms. In the last two years Heidi has further enlarged the versatility of her art by painting on acrylic glass and dibond plates (the material commonly used for traffic signs).
Heidi teaches art (acrylic and watercolor painting) in her studio in Munich as well as at the Peoples University of Munich. She also offers a lease program for her paintings under special circumstances.
The work of Heidi Schmitz will be on display at the SBDAC from March 1 through March 28. There will also be an invitation-only charity event on Tuesday, March 12, 2013. On that occasion Mayor Randy Henderson, Jr. of Fort Myers will auction one of the paintings for the benefit of the SBDAC. The event is supported by the Miami German Consul General, the Southwest Florida Honorary Consul of Germany and the Southwest Florida European American Network.
For further information about Heidi or her art, please consult www.heidi-schmitz.com or www.heidi-schmitz.de.
Founded in 1997 by Jim Griffith as Florida Arts, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center provides programming to southwest Florida which includes concerts, theatrical performances, art exhibits, dance, independent film, and cotillion. The Art Center regularly recruits award-winning artists who have performed worldwide at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Its mission is to nurture innovation and excellence in the visual and performing arts through these events and community outreach programs.
Volunteers are needed at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center to assist in the office and with regularly scheduled seasonal events. Contact Sally Joslyn at 239-333-1933 or sally.sbdac@gmail.com for more information.
The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First Street, in the heart of the downtown Fort Myers River District. For more information about the center or the exhibit, please visiti www.sbdac.com or telephone 239-333-1933.
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