Alex Schaefer is a master of oil paint and the palette knife. I’ve known him for several years now and have a deep respect for his ability to capture the people, places, times of day and activities of Los Angeles. After working eight years as an artist in the video game industry, Alex now devotes himself to painting full-time. In addition, he teaches at the Art Center College of Design, Cal State University LA, and figure drawing at The Hive Gallery (every third Thursday night).
Nathan Cartwright: I’ve heard you passionately call yourself a modern Manet; tell me of your sacred ways.
Alex Schaefer: I admire Manet as a master. He drew inspiration from the modern world with an ease of expression through bold painting. To me, painting is a fine art- it takes craft and practice and skill. One can become a virtuoso at it unlike, say, conceptual art. My art is not about literary ideas, but that which appeals to our sense of sight. I like to look at beautiful things, different people, places, light, landscape, and color. I think Manet did too!
Nathan Cartwright: How do you set up a painting session?
Alex Schaefer: Painting for me is like a well-cooked meal. There’s a lot of time spent in practice and preparation. My paintings start from drawings, I always have my sketchbook on me in case I see something that strikes me. I take these drawings and work more on them over time, adjusting, cropping, and composing in order to get an arrangement that expresses what it is about a scene that catches my eye. Later I come back to the location with canvas and materials and paint it from life with as much truth and audacity as possible.
Nathan Cartwright:How has being involved in the Hive and the downtown scene affected your work?
Alex Schaefer: There was a period of a few years when it was just painting and me. I needed solitude to find my own way in painting. Eventually I needed to be part of a community again and I found that in the Hive. It has a freshness and spirit of community like no other gallery in LA right now. Its’ experimental nature has seeped into my work fostering and encouraging breakthroughs for me. I couldn’t be more excited about the path of my art.
Nathan Cartwright: What do you think about the LA art scene today??
Alex Schaefer: There is so much energy built up in LA right now it’s unbelievable. People don’t realize it yet, but some of the best art of our time is being made right now in this city. There are definitely distinct scenes in different parts of the city, the pop-surrealists vs. the MFArtists vs. the graffiti-ists etc, but there’s something for everyone.
Nathan Cartwright: Are we going to see a San Julian urban series in the near future?
Alex Schaefer: (Laughs) I like to paint all over the city, but I have to admit that 5th and San Julian downtown is a little rough for me! Still, you will likely see me set up somewhere in the city painting on location. My dream would be to take a long trip and paint all over the country. There are so many beautiful places I want to see! Maybe someone reading this will sponsor me in exchange for some paintings!
Alex Schaefer will be one of five featured artists at The Hive alongside the “Price Less” group show in December. For more info, contact nathan@thehivegallery.com. The figure drawing class is $10 a session every third Thursday of the month from 7:30PM- 10:30PM.