Time, care and detail are the first things that come to mind when looking at Ms. Schmidt's work. It's as every crevice of one of her pieces is filled with something for the eye. Painstaking attention to every detail is spelled out in each of her lines. From the anatomy of the common housefly to the fanciful tail feathers in Peacock the images look as if a slight breath would fracture the serenity of their moment. While fancy is one aspect of her work realism plays an equally important part.
After seeing her work on Tim Barber's Tiny Vices I became an instant fan. After doing a little internet research and poking around in her FBI file I contacted her and conducted the following interview. I hope a gallery in the Bay Area brings her out here at some point. Because I have a feeling that her work is even more impressive in the flesh.
- Isaac McKay-Randozzi
Lets start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?
Aurel Schmidt, New York, 23
Have you lived there a long time?
I have been in New York for a year, but I live out of a suitcase, so I wouldn't say that I really live anywhere, I more live where-ever.
Medium:
Pencil crayon, pencil and acrylic on paper. Ranging in size from 15"X15" to around 40"X60". "The end" is 4ft X4ft acrylic on wood panel. Most of the insects are drawn life size or slightly larger.
How long have you been doing arty type things?
As long as I can remember. When I was a teenager I was making very angsty detailed drawings on all sorts of wonderful satanic themes. I drew everyday, I loved it so much. Then I got really embarrassed of them, I hid them all under the bed at my mothers house. Now I have come full circle, I draw rotting corpses all day, I have never been happier.
How do you make a living?
It's a secret.
Betting on snail racing?
Not even close.
How much of your income comes from your trucker hat business?
I gave that up a long time ago.
Why did you move from Canada to NYC?
I was living a really charmed life in Vancouver. Everything was perfect. I needed to make life more difficult. I wanted a challenge, to try new things, meet new people.
Why New York?
It was the only place I knew anyone else. I also wanted to be around museums and galleries, until I moved here I had never seen a 'masterpiece' in real life. Needless to say, the first time I went to the Met it really blew my mind. It changed everything.
Is your work all hand done? Or do you use any computer tools to help out?
It is all "hand done." When you see them in real life it is pretty obvious.
Do you smoke weed? I only ask because your work has a stonerish quality to it.
I don't smoke weed. But if you want to you can.
Depending on the size, how long does each piece take?
The zombie drawings take a long time. Days, Months... I've never timed it.
Do you paint? Or is your main focus drawing?
Drawing is my first love, but I would never be content to do one thing, I love ideas too much. I like to make ideas not pictures, any form will do. The zombie series that I am working on now will be drawing, sculpture, and some appropriation photography. I am about to embark on this really intense sculpture project over the summer. I am going out into the bush for four months, I am going to build my own kiln, and kill snakes and mice and insects and cast them. Zombie sculptures. Like the drawings but made of wax, or ceramic or something, I don't even know yet! I know what they look like in my mind, but I don't know how to make them yet.
What's the biggest mistake you've ever made?
I love mistakes. You make a mistake and as you try to repair the damage you create something new.
Your ego is always trying to gloss things over, project an idea of what you want to make, who you want to be. When you fuck up you get a chance to see through it. Those moments are golden. Through mistakes you are able to short-circuit the ego long enough do something actually interesting. Everything good I have ever made came from a mistake.
What was the best decision you ever made?
Putting all my eggs in one basket.
What's your favorite 4-letter word?
L-
O-
V-
E
Does God exist, if so is she pissed?
I don't believe in god. But I see what you are getting at. I think the world is horrific. It always has been. And I don't mean just the everyday war rape and pillage child molesting alienating living hell that is existence. I mean the the fact that we are missing the end of the novel, we live everyday hurdling full speed towards a brick wall, and have no fucking clue what will happen after we hit. Its terrifying, but I love it…I love life more then life.
For a 23 year old you seem to be fairly mature, is that because you're a woman, or how you were raised, something else?
well... I suppose I put myself through a lot of trials. Always jumping out of the frying pan. Making grandiose and often poorly planner decisions and then seeing them through. I had little to no discipline growing up. Landmines. I got in to a lot of trouble. With no one to tell me what I should or shouldn't do I decided how I wanted to live my life on my own terms. As I mentioned above, mistakes. Living in hell and coming out the other side, a better person, subsequently an older person. Honestly though I am so thankful to be getting older. Fuck being a kid, at least as an adult you fully understand free will.
Do you do many art shows?
Recently Tim Barber has had two shows in New York of artists on his website: tinyvices.com, and I showed/am showing a few drawings in them, Right now: '25 Bold Moves' at the House of Campari, 382 West Broadway, May 5th through May 21st 2006, and last month at Spencer Brownstone Gallery. Otherwise, in Vancouver at artist run spaces, Antisocial, the Crying Room.
Where do you want to go with your art? Make a living off of it? Or just do it to do it?
I will always do it, I love it more then anything. I want to show it when I like it. If I sell it means that person liked it enough to buy it, and I like that.
Where can people see your work online? Have you been published? tinyvices.com
Comments
///////// hella aurel schmidt. mistakes mistakes mistakes! right on soul sista. Written by cjs on 2006-05-10 09:56:37
///////// wow these are really interesting Written by rebecca on 2006-05-10 14:02:24
///////// good art. Im so sick of the look at me i can draw like a fuckin first grader shit. trendy art fucks die,please. Written by shc on 2006-05-10 15:26:10
///////// Superb drawings. All of them. Damn! Written by farmerbob on 2006-05-11 00:34:00
///////// enticing Written by maxwell loren holyoke-hirsch on 2006-05-11 02:16:59
///////// great works!
Aurel, please contact me at
as I would like to feature your works in ROJO®. http://www.rojo-magazine.com/papel Written by david quiles on 2006-05-11 04:05:25
///////// These are great. I'd love to see them in person. Please keep me posted with any shows that you have around the city.
ok. Written by Ryan Wallace on 2006-05-11 11:19:41
///////// impressive. i want to see them in person now. Written by pencilbomb on 2006-05-11 11:23:27
///////// Kewl!!!!!! Written by jesseedwards.net on 2006-05-11 15:25:53
///////// delusional bros. incorporated. dogman is in the neighbors garden .... digging.... get over here now! dogman is fully digging a hole! ..... ohhhh uhhhhhngng ngng ew ew ew hes dropping a load in the garden... ew ew ew EW... NOW HES COVERING IT. gross...he dropped like six logs in there
see you soon for burgers krohelio Written by KROPO on 2006-05-11 16:24:55
///////// remarkable...i Written by THINKMULE on 2006-05-12 07:36:53
///////// i love shc, more please
Written by todd on 2006-05-12 12:16:07
///////// DAMMMNNNN! These are probably my favorite drawings, at least out of anything i've seen on the face Written by on 2006-05-12 12:46:14
///////// stunning work.
the zombies are next level... siiiick Written by cordani on 2006-05-12 15:45:59
///////// look de kay...... Written by he on 2006-05-12 22:26:08
///////// i love it when people can actually draw. this whole screen print/paperrad/not much talent, but really good at hyping yourself thing has got to go. great work. Written by brennan on 2006-05-13 11:39:45
///////// you can do better. have fun. Written by nicholas on 2006-05-14 18:09:21
///////// my brother ate a cockraoch once, you should draw someone young and chubby eating a cockroach. Written by trolly on 2006-05-15 01:48:41
///////// 'i love it when people can actually draw. this whole screen print/paperrad/not much talent, but really good at hyping yourself thing has got to go. great work.'
I completely disagree. This is a pretty trite, age-old argument, but TECHNICAL SKILL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP, while nice, NEVER trumps vision and style. If that were the case, Guitar Center sales associates would be the finest artists of our time. That being said, of course Paper Rad or every Valencia St. sidewalk stencilist sucks balls. Written by TROPIX on 2006-05-16 12:53:09
///////// whoa radness. Written by michele on 2006-05-19 07:29:32
///////// the beauty in ugly and the ugly in beauty. Written by hah on 2006-05-19 14:14:38
///////// hey sell me the black explotion one. how much???? Written by stefan on 2006-05-20 22:29:17
///////// Holy shite. My eyes are pleased Written by machine on 2006-06-01 11:45:48
///////// great work! Written by reid stewart on 2006-06-04 14:12:43
///////// wow .Vancouver has some amazing artists... you and Jeff Ladouceur are my favorite. Written by slipper on 2006-06-05 17:40:41
///////// Hey Aurel, what the heck lady? i havent talked to you in ages. if you still check this email then email me back with your adress, tell me how you are doing. Jeremy has told Misty that your doin great in NY. I hope all is well. i hope to hear from you soon!! Stacie Stangroom
please email me!! aka your little sister. Written by on 2006-06-10 06:58:41
///////// great craftwork. your style looks like every body elses tho
Written by hey! on 2006-07-14 12:25:55
///////// "I completely disagree. This is a pretty trite, age-old argument, but TECHNICAL SKILL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP, while nice, NEVER trumps vision and style. If that were the case, Guitar Center sales associates would be the finest artists of our time. That being said, of course Paper Rad or every Valencia St. sidewalk stencilist sucks balls."
If you do think that Paper Rad sucks, then you don't completely disagree with the statement - only partially.
Also, why do you have technical skill and craftmanship in a contest with vision and style? Neither trumps the other; good work incorporates both. I believe that, in particular, the work featured in this article does, in fact, have technical skill and craftmanship, as well as obviously possessing a vision and a distinct style.
Written by lapisak on 2006-08-08 22:20:16
///////// This says nothing to me about my life, Who can relate to this? that is where the power is. In the people. NO one will follow you
if they dont see a part of them selves in you Written by Nobody on 2006-08-09 02:10:54
///////// I think craftmanship, technical skill, really knowing how to draw and learning to do it the traditional way (ie. observational drawing) does one thing and one thing only: it gives you the freedom to pursue your vision, to not be stuck on how you do what you envision but just do it. Knowing how to draw frees you from getting stuck in how you get there. You have this image in your head and you do it without having to think about technique. It's easy for someone who knows how to draw to simplify than it is for someone who can't draw to create something intricate like this. Written by rheakurokawa on 2006-08-11 14:45:44
///////// Thanks for the show tonight Aurel, i.e. Vancouver, Cordova St. I had a wonderful time-- Fastinating work...
Colin
keep in touch
Written by Colin on 2006-08-26 00:52:43
///////// So Great! I usually blip overmuch art as being pretty similar. This isn't. Written by Christa on 2006-08-29 21:52:23
///////// I love the contrast in content and texture. Soft, fluffy, smooth textures-soft colors against the sometimes gruesome subjects. I think you're very talented...and while there is some "trendy" aspect to your work as someone else mentioned (in an unecessarily rude way)I feel your work stands out and that you are very talented. Written by dorothy noir on 2006-09-09 12:09:47
///////// "I think craftmanship, technical skill, really knowing how to draw and learning to do it the traditional way (ie. observational drawing) does one thing and one thing only: it gives you the freedom to pursue your vision, to not be stuck on how you do what you envision but just do it. Knowing how to draw frees you from getting stuck in how you get there. You have this image in your head and you do it without having to think about technique. It's easy for someone who knows how to draw to simplify than it is for someone who can't draw to create something intricate like this"
i agree, but i also think that sometimes the lack of craftmanship can force you to try different ways and therefore make you do very interesting things . Written by lola on 2006-09-27 14:01:14
///////// thank you for doing what you do!
Written by on 2007-01-12 00:03:20
///////// i just saw a work today in my school's senior show that is pretty much same style as auriel's work, i hope it's by accident. i don't know what to do if it's not... Written by seacat on 2007-01-29 08:05:28
///////// i hear shes a cutie too :0 Written by yourtheprism on 2007-10-15 10:56:42
///////// nice. Written by redd on 2008-10-08 03:42:30
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