Artist and art professor Patrick Schmidt
Hi Patrick, please tell us who you are
My name is Patrick Schmidt, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US) based artist. I have an MFA from Central Michigan University and besides being a full-time artist, I also teach at a small liberal arts college (Washington & Jefferson College). I have shown my work from coast to coast in the states, and in a growing number of cities in Europe.
Congrats! How has your artistic interest developed over time?
I have always drawn or made “things” and knew from an early age I wanted to work in a creative field. When I got to junior high school, I started playing music and thought I would study music in college. However, during my first college semester, I took a drawing class. In the second or third week of class, I had an epiphany, switched my major, and never looked back.
Are you happy with things as they are right now?
I am confident about my artistic path and feel my work gaining momentum. Although the pandemic has forced me to stay home, I have found a worldwide audience via social media. Beside developing a new series of work, I connected with the Baker-Howard Contemporary gallery in London, and my work was featured at the Art Market International Art Fair in Budapest Hungary. I also have connected with Art Ventures Gallery in Menlo Park, CA (San Francisco). Social media has created opportunities to connect with galleries all over the world.
Let’s talk a bit about the process involved when making your art
As a colorist, I describe my work as optical, hardedge, color fields with a digital sensibility. I explore perception via the language of geometric abstraction. I like the endless possibilities of composition, color combinations, and the nature of perception. I especially love the process of developing my compositions. I photograph older paintings and import them into Photoshop. I then isolate a small/tiny (.04″ x 2.08″) section of the painting then enlarge it. This process skews/distorts the image into an interesting starting point. At that point, I print out a line drawing of the composition and project it onto the canvas. I edit the composition by removing or adding some lines to make the composition more interesting for the canvas size. To get a transparent image within the composition, I also place a “traditional” geometric shape centrally within the canvas. I see the composition as a puzzle to solve in a “Concrete, De Stijl, Optical” kind of way.
Truly fascinating. Have you experimented with other art styles before?
At university, I was drawn to the historical art movements of Dada, Fauvism, Constructivism, De Stijl, Pop, OpArt, and Abstract Expressionism. After playing in the realms of Dadaism and Abstract Expressionism, I began to stencil everyday found objects into repeatable patterns. Once patterns entered my practice in a Pop/Op style, the work just led me to the precision of hard edge, geometric abstraction.
You said you work full-time in the arts. What does your everyday work look like?
I am a full professor of two- and three-dimensional art at a small liberal arts college in southwestern Pennsylvania. However, I put in 20+ hours a week in my studio and another 10 hours working on the administrative side of my art career. I consider myself an artist more than an educator.
What would you recommend an artist?
To quote Andy Warhol: “Don’t worry about what people say about your work, just keep working.” Being an artist, is a 24/7/365 kind of job. It takes discipline and hard work, but it’s the greatest profession in the world.
What feedback do you get about your art?
Galleries have said my work is “collectable” and of “museum quality.” The work is “stunning” and “engaging.” Collectors describe my work using words like “colorful,” “intriguing,” “complex.”
Where do you like to work most?
I have been on some amazing residencies with idyllic locations, bucolic scenery, fabulous food, and great people. All of which have been wonderful places to work, but there is nothing like the home studio. My inspiration is the day in and day out of my practice, the sound of the dog sleeping in the corner, my favorite vinyl on the turntable, and the access to all my previous/storied work.
Which famous artists or things inspire you?
Many things inspire me. The list of artists is long, from the early colorists to the modernist such as Matisse, Mondrian, Ellsworth Kelly, Bridget Riley, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Yayoi Kasama, Julian Stanczak, to artists like Richard Long, and Richard Tuttle. But I am also inspired by music, specifically contemporary minimal music (Phillip Glass, Steve Reich to name a few)
Which project would be a dream for you?
My dream project or projects would happen simultaneously or concurrently and be ongoing. To install a collection of my work with other colorists or geometric abstractionists in the Whitney Museum, while working on a large mural for the exhibition. At the same time, preparing solo gallery shows in New York, Paris and elsewhere, as well as gearing up for several public murals. Then repeating the process.
Looking back today, how would you go about it if you wanted to be an artist?
I would have taken an art class in high school, instead of waiting until college, and I would not have waited to move to a larger art friendly city with a gallery system.
Do you have any ritual or routine?
Every morning, and I do mean every morning I get up and walk into the studio to say hello to my works in progress. I look over what I did the day before and think about what my next move is later in the day (on days that I teach). I then start my morning route of yoga/exercise, breakfast, language learning, then studio/teach. The more I work the more I am inspired.
Do you have any favorite art pieces?
I set parameters to solve for each painting, visual, technically, and conceptual, and not all paintings come to fruition. I will spend weeks to several months bringing a painting to completion so by the time it is finished I know it inside out. I use that painting to push forward to the next so in some cases my favorite is the one I am working on or even the next painting I am about to start.
Is exchanging ideas with other artists something that you like?
Studio work is mainly done alone in solitude. But I love getting out when I get a chance to work with others to bring a project to fruition. I enjoy getting to know people while installing exhibitions and bringing specific projects to the public.
How do you feel about working with art galleries?
I have been exhibiting my work for many years mostly at colleges/universities and non-profit galleries. In the last five years, I have shifted my attention to commercial galleries and art fairs. I have been extremely fortunate to have had to opportunities to show in galleries from California, Kansas City, and London to art fairs in Brooklyn, NYC, and Budapest.
Your goals
My goals for my work/art career are to get my work in front of as many people as I possibly can on a global scale from the average passerby to the most avid collector/art aficionado. I want to get my work collected by everyone regardless of social status, and to place my work in museum collections big and small, local and global. Every year, I set a goal of applying to 120+ opportunities, from grants, artists residencies, public murals, solo/groups shows at colleges/universities, and non-profits. I approach commercial galleries world-wide. I try not to leave any stone unturned. I also use social media to help promote my work and get it in front of collectors, gallerists, museum directors, and curators.
How would you like to end this Q&A?
I would like to thank Hardedger for this opportunity and you for spending time with my work.
Thanks for this interesting interview, Patrick!
Patrick Schmidt ★ Artist resume
I have shown my work from coast to coast (US) and in a growing number of cities in Europe. I look forward to bring my work to your community


Instagram: @pschmidt61