California 101

Artist Kristine Schomaker not only creates her own art, she supports other artists in the Los Angeles community through her company, Shoebox PR. Schomaker discusses the direction of her art and how she began her work as an artist and as an artist’s advocate.

Schomaker’s first art experience was as a child in grade school. “I used to draw my dad’s race cars and the F-15 planes that he worked on. In the 80’s I used to take the soda bottles that had foam labels, tear the labels off in one swirling shot and put it in the empty bottle. I would call it ‘pop art.’” In high school, Schomaker wanted to be an architect until in college she realized “I hated math, so architecture was out.” A painting class, art history class, and museum visits set Schomaker’s life as an artist. “Iwent to the Sam Francis retrospective at MOCA and the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at LACMA and I was blown away. After seeing the Sam Francis exhibition, I knew abstract expressionism was for me.”

Schomaker began painting using a process of “pouring and dripping, mixing colors on the canvas and using my blow dryer as a tool to create the work,” a technique she continues today. When an aunt and uncle described the virtual world of Second Life, and how artists appeared in the world, showing real-world artwork, Schomaker joined up. “I created an Avatar, started a gallery, organized shows and started creating work using second life as another tool. Since then, I continue to paint, but I also use Second Life as another art tool where I focus on identity and body politics.” While the artist has sold many paintings, she finds “new media is more cutting edge for the contemporary art world. I’m learning to combine the two and I’m working on making full room installations using new media, painting and sculpture,” she notes.

The artist is based out of the Brewery Artist lofts on the eastern edge of DTLA. That location contributes to her work. “I grew up in the Antelope Valley in the high desert, so I didn’t have the opportunity to come down to the museums or galleries as much as I would have loved to. When I moved to the Brewery a few years ago, the world opened up. I could jump on the freeway and be virtually anywhere in a matter of minutes. The diverse artists, the amount of creativity and imagination, the inspirational studios and lofts – the community is very stimulating. The artists who live here range from architects to graphic designers, painters and sculptors, photographers and print makers, jewelers and fashion designers. I have an idea to make a full body suit in the likeness of my Avatar and I have already talked to one of my neighbors about working together on it. I ran out of titanium white paint one Easter when all of the art stores were closed. I posted on our Facebook group to see if anyone had some, and an artist had a quart from Nova Color that I bought from her. It was perfect. If I need another eye to look at my work, I can call friends here to come over and check it out.” In short, being a part of this loft community is an important aspect of Schomaker’s work and lifestyle.

But the artist is not one to stay at home. She recently transported sculptures on a “road trip” around Southern California and took photos of that journey. “My new media work has always been about bringing the virtual world to the physical world or blurring the line between the virtual and the physical worlds. In a solo show I had a couple years ago, for opening night I held a dinner party performance in which participants in the physical world sat down to eat with Avatars from Second Life. The Avatars were made up of people from all over the world. The painted mannequins are inspired by my Avatar in Second Life. In that virtual world, I used one of my paintings as a skin on my Avatar and it became a brand for me and my work. It was a natural progression to bring her into the real world. Painting a mannequin was the best way at the time to make it happen.”

Schomaker has created five real world Avatars and has taken them on the road with her. “I call this project Avatar Simulacrum. My last trip was to San Diego and I am planning on taking them to San Francisco the end of the month. The Avatars are a stand-in for me. They are virtually my ‘ideal’ self. Since my work is about body image, self-acceptance and society’s perception of beauty, I will eventually have a mannequin made in my likeness to show that every body shape and size is beautiful.” Her art is very personal, particularly in regard to her Avatars. “They represent me and my body image issues. I have an eating disorder which in part originated because of these issues. I use my work to hopefully inspire people to accept themselves and others no matter what shape, size, race, or religion they may be.”

Along with her own art, Schomaker is unique in supporting other artists through her company Shoebox PR. “I’ve always been big on building art communities. I absolutely believe that we have to support each other in order to thrive in the art world. I was the social media manager and then the president of the Brewery Artwalk Association, and I’ve been able to support the artists who live here. It is so fulfilling to see my artists succeed. It is not only their success, but my own, because I know in a small way, I was able to help them get there. Art is all encompassing. Like literature, it tells a story and every artist has their own story. It’s fantastic to share those stories.”

See Schomaker’s work – and that of other artists – at the California 101 Exhibit opening July 31st in Redondo Beach