W&J instructor uses his art for face masks
Patrick Schmidt is an associate professor of art at Washington & Jefferson College.
These masks were created by Patrick Schmidt, an associate professor of art at Washington & Jefferson College
This mask created by Patrick Schmidt is called “Curved Stripes.”
This mask created by Patrick Schmidt is called “Gershwin Tune.”
This mask created by Patrick Schmidt is called “Impressions of ...”
This mask created by Patrick Schmidt is called “Plaid.”
This mask created by Patrick Schmidt is called “Tilt of Work.”
Since the onset the coronavirus pandemic in March, artists like Patrick Schmidt have faced a particular challenge: Keeping their work before the public while galleries are shuttered and larger-scale events like the Three Rivers Arts Festival have either been canceled or have migrated online.
Schmidt, an associate professor of art at Washington & Jefferson College, decided his art would be seen widely if it is worn widely.
To that end, he has affixed colorful portions of select paintings to masks and is selling them through his online store. So far, he has used five separate paintings for the masks.
“I just want to put things out there and let people find their way into the work,” Schmidt said.
When the pandemic made its way into the United States five months ago, Schmidt was fresh from a residency at an 18th century hunting lodge in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, where his studio was in an old stable. After being back in the country for just a couple of days, he and his wife, Arlan Hess, who owns the City Books store on Pittsburgh’s North Side, decided to start making masks since they had heard reports they were in short supply.
“We needed to do something,” Schmidt said. “When we went online, we found a couple of designs. Neither of us are fast sewers. Neither of us were all that talented at that part.”
Eventually, the couple decided rather than using the designs of other people, they could affix Schmidt’s paintings to masks and make them available for purchase. Schmidt chose a couple of “retired” paintings from his output, photographed and digitized them, enhancing the color.
“It’s an image of the painting,” Schmidt said. “The painting and it are not the same.”
Along with putting the images on masks, they have also been placed on cell phone cases and mugs. This is the first time in his career Schmidt has marketed his work in this way.
“This was a huge step for me,” Schmidt said. “In today’s world, and with the pandemic lockdown, how do artists communicate? It just made sense, if I want my art to go out there. Having an exhibit wasn’t going to happen for a while. It’s going to be hit-and-miss for a while.”
Schmidt has been at W&J since 2002. A native of Michigan and a graduate of Central Michigan University, Schmidt’s work explores questions of personal identity in a digital world. His paintings are in many private and corporate collections on these shores and in Europe, and his work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in Florence, Italy, and, in New York and Washington, D.C.
Even though the pandemic has scuttled many art events, Schmidt believes people “have been clamoring for the arts in general” over the last five months” and “a huge amount of art has been sold online.”
As to whether he’ll be offering more masks with different designs, Schmidt said, “Several people have reached out with suggestions. Although I am considering branching out, the object and image have to be a good fit and feel right before I go ahead with anything.”
To view more of Schmidt’s work, visit https://patrickschmidtstudio.com/home.html. His online store can be found at teespring.com/stores/patrick-schmidt-studio.