Local Up-and-Coming Artist Caroline Schiller Paints Interest With First Show

Surrealism

Houston native Caroline Schiller has made her first big leap as an artist: she held the opening to her first solo show called the "Love is Real" exhibition on February 12, 2011.  The show took place at Salon Ceron in Uptown Park and showcased 20 of Caroline's paintings as well as several of friend and photographer Carmen Reed's pieces.  In addition to being the public's first chance to see Schiller and Reed's work, the two young artists were able to raise $500 for ArtBridge Houston, a charitable organization that provides art experiences for homeless children.

An atypical artist, Schiller studied French and Art History in college, and through her study of the history of art, Caroline gained an appreciation for all of the Great Masters, as well as many more contemporary artists.  Surprisingly, she just recently found her affinity for and talent in creating her own art.  She began painting because she felt compelled to, and after college took two classes at the Glassell School.  Her paintings were first hung in one of her family's restaurants, and they started to gain attention, which led to commissions and her first show.  Caroline has since sold several of her pieces, and this has encouraged her to create more.  She doesn't choose a canvas size, but instead lets the different sizes of canvases inspire her.

Her favorite piece might be surprising: it is one that is controversial and dark, which is far from her "typical" pieces that are colorful and more cheerful.  It is shocking, which is something she enjoys achieving through her art.  "Heartless" is a painting of a woman holding a human heart in her hand; mischievous smile on her face.  Schiller's goal was to express the feeling of heartbreak and the hatred that comes with it.  She has also created an un-traditional self-portrait, which is a colorful, beautiful, insightful piece that focuses less on her face and more on her being.

While Schiller predominantly paints on canvas, she dabbles in pencil, markers, or anything else she can get her hands on.  She doesn't have just one muse; instead, she has many muses that inspire different emotions and finds that she'll focus on one muse for a couple of pieces and then move to her next inspiration.  Her self-professed main goal is to "strive to portray feelings through images [she creates] and understand human emotion" through her art.  "Painting is visual poetry and my goal is to have people look at my art and feel something deep in their soul".

Caroline's work can be found across Houston, in public and private collections.  Among other places, Caroline's art is featured at the Galleria area's RDG + Bar Annie restaurant, a triptych is in the elevator and she painted a large mural on the outside terrace.  In the new West Ave development, Ava Kitchen and Whiskey Bar, Caroline's work is prominently featured.  For more information on Caroline or her work, visit her website: http://www.carolineschiller.com.

ArtBridge Houston is an arts program for homeless children.  Currently serving 12 locations in the Houston area, ArtBridge emphasizes education as a means to overcome the cycle of homelessness.  For more information, visit their website: http://artbridgehouston.org.