Barbara Schaefer - Assenza 1

Barbara Schaefer

I obtained a BFA from The University of Arizona and an MFA from San Francisco State University. I have been a recipient of a Helen Wurlitzer Foundation Artist-in-Residency award, the New York Foundation For The Arts Sponsorship, a grant from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and an Artist-in-Residency award at the Fundación Valparaiso. My work in various art forms - dance, choreography, writing and music - have informed and enhanced my primary work as a visual artist. The inter-relationship of these disciplines develops my awareness of the underlying principles that are essential in all art forms. To begin with, all art forms require presence and patience, showing up for the work, even when nothing is apparently happening. Then, listening, observation, decisiveness, but also release is necessary for the creative process. Also, art is not separate from growth as a human being and is often frightening and painful, which above all requires courage and taking risks. My most recent work with digital photography has evolved from my relationship with the computer and technology. At first the photographic images, printed on film transparencies, were integrated into my paintings. The digital photograph itself then became comprehensive and self-sufficient - with its highly sensitive play of light, texture and surprise - for my concerns with capturing the invisible becoming visible.