FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com JANUARY 17, 2013 •BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER63 buzz Artist Ellen Schneiderman paints the formations of the world BY ALEXA ALTMAN • aaltman@queenscourier.com Through ribbons of water-based paint, entities reserved to be seen under a microscope are visible. She draws from the world we know at it’s most basic level, subterranian, with elements of biology, archae- ology and microcosmic forces taking shape. Flowing lava, a magnifi ed leaf and the trenches of the ocean meet the surface of the Earth on pieces of canvas in Schneiderman’s studio — the world in tiny snapshots. “These are feelings and thoughts and worlds that don’t exist beyond the paintings themselves,” said Schneiderman. “There’s abstraction all around us, It’s just whether you’re looking for it or whether you want to see it.” Schneiderman’s art education began in her home- town of Los Angeles, undergoing a more technique- based form of traditional training. She departed the West Coast to study at Brown University, where she encountered a learning style that emphasized more abstract ideas. Immediately after graduating in 2005, she moved to New York City. “I really fell in love with New York and I really fell in love with Queens,” she said. She joined a program that set artists up in underuti- lized spaces around Long Island City, providing them with studio space for free. She worked in a 15,000 Photos courtesy of Ellen Schneiderman square-foot warehouse on Jackson Avenue with sever- al other artists, including Jeffrey Leder, with whom she formed a close bond. Schneiderman’s work has been a mainstay in Leder’s gallery for the past few years. “I have a very strong communities of artists and painters,” she said. “I love having friends who are art- ists and who can give me feedback and try to under- stand what its like to have a life as an artist. Its wonder- ful if you can fi nd that kind of community.” While some fi nd solitude necessary to create, Schneiderman said being around others is a necessity in her creative process, feeding off of the support of others and embracing their opinions. “I’m very used to making art around people,” she said. “It’s something I gain a lot from. I think that’s a good thing as an artist, to be around people who think about things differently than you do and challenge you. It’s really important to have that in your life.” And, even with the input of others, she’s made things she’s hated. It’s part of the process, she says. “There’s something about embracing everything you make,” she said. “Mistakes don’t really matter. I’ve learned as much from the paintings that I hate as the ones that are successful.” When she’s not in her studio, Schneiderman works at the Henry Street Settlement, a large social service agency that runs a network of homeless shelters and public outreach centers. She runs fundraisers for the agency’s Abrons Arts Center, making sure they have enough funding to continue art education for those in need. She says she doesn’t know if she’ll always do some kind of social work, what she studied in college, but for now, it’s gratifying. Even though she’s only 30, Schneiderman said age never relates to the success of one’s career. Part of join- ing a collective studio space, she says, is to connect with other creatives who are at various stages in their artistic lives. It’s about the evolution — and avoiding the plateau. WINTER SAVINGS ONSITE DOCTORS • EYE EXAMS • CONTACTS • 1 HOUR SERVICE • VISION PLANS ACCEPTED • SUNGLASSES • LOWEST PRICES FLEX SPENDINGUse it or lose it! 2 PAIR OF EYEGLASSES NO-LINE BIFOCAL EYEGLASSES DISPOSABLE CONTACTS $79 Includes: $79 Includes: $79 Includes:EYE EXAM, No-Line BifocalEYE EXAM, 718.631.3699 lenses+/- 4 sph., 2 cyl. Not valid with any other offers, bifocal lenses +/- 4 sph., 2 cyl up to 2.50 add. •2 Boxes of LensesSelect frame with select clear plastic no-lineSelect frames with clear plastic, single vision211-51 26 AVENUE • BAYSIDE, NY 11360•EYE EXAMLenses & FrameFrames & LensesBAY TERRACE SHOPPING CENTER *FREE with the purchase of glasses. sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Not Valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages.Clear Soft contacts brand clear spherical lenses.Must present prior to purchase.Offer valid at this location only.purchase.fi tting add’l.Must present prior to purchase. Offer ends: 2/21/13Offer ends: 2/21/13Offer valid at this location only.Offer ends: 2/21/13QCQCQCQC.*See store for detailsContact Lens Exam andEYE EXAM
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