I have two more Pastel Live 2022 faculty members to introduce you to before the event starts on Wednesday!! (And YES, you can still purchase tickets. Just click HERE to get the lowdown and buy.) Let’s meet Richard Wilson and William A. Schneider!
Before seeing his name on the Pastel Live 2022 Faculty list, I had been unaware of Richard Wilson and his work. But I’m now making up for lost time!
This award-winning artist was already working at his craft from an early age and developed his skills under the mentorship of his father. After graduating with a degree in advertising and graphic design from Pitt Community College, he eventually became an instructor in the same art department. Currently, he creates his art in a studio in Greenville, North Carolina.
As Richard writes, his “narrative paintings frequently feature his own family, in particular his children. His artistic strength is his capacity to select those moments that transcend the personal and can reach a broader audience. Some paintings are nostalgic, some express human connections that are only found within the family, and some express the challenge.”
In February 2021, Richard was recognized in the Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine as one of Today’s Masters.
Wilson’s work is found in many collections, both public and private. Most notably he made history in North Carolina by becoming the first African American artist to have a portrait painting publicly displayed in a North Carolina courthouse. His painting of George Henry White, the last former slave to serve in Congress, proudly hangs in the Edgecombe County Superior Courthouse in Tarboro, NC.
Cool fact (I enjoy Blue Moon beer!): He was selected by Blue Moon Brewing Company as one of the 20 Up and Coming Artists in the United States to design a Limited-Edition label for their 20th Anniversary Blue Moon Artist Series bottles.
Another cool fact: Richard’s paintings are featured on several streaming services and television networks. In February 2022, Netflix purchased three of his works to be displayed in their hit series “Raising Dion.” His painting Anticipation was featured in the hit NBC season 5 series of “This Is Us,” and the STARZ network purchased his work for their hit series “BMF.” You can also see five of Richard’s paintings on the big screen in the movie “Barbershop – The Next Cut.”
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This master artist considers himself a perpetual student
Who am I talking about? Pastel Live 2022 faculty member William A. Schneider. William trained at the American Academy of Art followed by workshops with some of the greats like Carolyn Anderson, Dan Gerhartz, Harley Brown, and Richard Schmid. He believes his work with these artists solidified his understanding of the basics. But when it comes to his approach to edges, he credits the hours he spent studying and copying work by Nicolai Fechin.
When it comes to composition, he says the epiphany came after four days of intense analysis of the paintings by J.W. Waterhouse at the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Montreal. We should all do that right?
Bill has been named “Master Signature Member” by Oil Painters of America (OPA), Pastel Society of America, The American Impressionist Society (AIS), and The Chicago Pastel Painters. He has also been named to the Masters’ Circle and designated an Eminent Pastelist by the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS).
His work has been featured in more than 25 articles in magazines such as: American Artist, The Artists Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, International Artist, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, and The Pastel Journal.
Bill’s work has won awards in over 50 national juried exhibitions including those of The American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, The Portrait Society of America, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), IAPS, and the Pastel Society of America.
He has nine instructional videos on Paint Tube TV. An example of one of these videos is Pastel Painting Secrets.
So have I whet your appetite??
Both Richard Wilson and William A Schneider will be teaching at Pastel Live 2022. Join us! Check out the full scope of artists participating by clicking HERE.
And that’s it for this time. I hope I’ll see you at Pastel Live 2022 this week!!
Gail
