Artist of the Week: Derek Schuetz

Derek Schuetz is an oil on canvas artist focusing on pets, people and landscapes.

Seattle Refined: How long have you been creating? What spirits do you work with?
I started drawing as a child and was formally introduced to painting at the University of Washington. I have been painting in oil on canvas (and sometimes canvas) for 20 years.

Can you tell us about your artistic process and how the different stages work in it?
My work is based on capturing a moment in time that is important to someone, or capturing a moment in creation that is important to me.

Most of the work I take from time to time for a person is a portrait: a picture of a cherished idea – a look or expression from a subject that embodies its meaning. I talk to that person to understand what they were feeling at that time and what feelings come out of this issue.

If there is an issue, I will edit the photo to take different pictures. Usually, these pictures are memoriam pictures. In these cases, I work with the client to find the best and most important references and use them as the subject of my painting. I will take a lot of photos to understand the different emotions and movements the person was having, identifying angles, positions and expressions. Sometimes, the photo image is not of good quality, has a very distracting background, or is taken from the wrong angles and foreground, so the next step in my process is to produce the image. digital, correcting colors and changing the background and foreground as needed. to give the client an idea of ​​what I think will produce the best shape. I have found this helps one to bring closer to the points that are most important to them about the concept.

When choosing a theme for landscape portraits, apart from the theme I have already chosen for the series, I like to look for unique and beautiful settings that include bright colors. Sometimes I get my photos from friends and photographers with their permission.

Tell us where your artistic inspiration comes from.
My motivation and desire to create art comes from within. I feel born to create. When I’m not painting, I enjoy woodworking as another creative outlet. I am fascinated by the amazing beauty of this planet and the colors that our creator has added to our lives.

Do you have a special “beat” that you like the most – nature, food, records, etc.?
My favorite subjects are nature and pets. They both make me happy in different ways. Nature is amazing and difficult to understand, and pets have unique personalities that are fun to portray.

Do you have one piece of art that means more to you or is more important to you?
I do that. My favorite and special thing for me is the picture I made for my wife of her beloved dog, Rocco. The photo I used for reference was taken the day before he died, and it encapsulated his personality better than I can describe. A close second would be a portrait of my wife done in a film noir style. So if I could only keep one, I’d take both of these as they fit perfectly in the same room.

What experiences in your life have influenced your art the most?
Hmmm. I would say that I had great teachers who pushed me when I needed it, pushed me to be better. Also, the time my wife pushed me to focus on painting was a big part of my art story.

If we want to see more of your work, where should we go to find it?
I can be found on my website, www.derekschuetz.com. Prints and other originals can be ordered directly from my website. I can be reached at my email derek.schuetz@gmail.com for questions or inquiries related to art, as well as if someone would like to talk to me directly about my art.

What’s next for you? What is something you are currently working on that you really enjoy?
I’m really excited for the future. I’m working on a new series of sites that I can’t talk about yet. I continue to try to grow my clientele for commission pieces and have started teaching oil painting on a personal and private basis, where I can create lessons based on what the student wants to learn. what they are up to and what their current knowledge and skills are. .

Finally, how do you take your coffee? (We ask everyone!)
I take my coffee with a lot of cream and a lot of sugar. Sometimes it’s straight from coca-cola.

About the ‘Artist of the Week’: The city is full of artists we love to feature each week at Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist in mind that you would like to see featured, let us know at hello@seattlerefined.com. And when you are wondering what art is made of, that is its beauty; it’s up to you! Check out all our previous Artists of the Week in our dedicated section.