John Schmidtberger

"I search for places, people, and situations that I find compelling, spending a great deal of time just looking. When I finally find what I'm looking for, I feel it like a physical sensation-an 'a-ha!' experience. Then I paint or draw the subject as quickly and directly as possible, in order to describe my experience. I am not interested in the details. Instead I ask, 'What is the gesture? What is the rhythm? What is the light doing? What is the mood? What is the essence of this painting?'"
-John Schmidtberger

John Schmidtberger is primarily a landscape painter, focusing on the scenery of Bucks County and the coastline of Penobscot Bay, Maine, where he spends his summers. John is dedicated to painting en plein air, attempting to capture the mood of a scene through rapid execution. He is also acclaimed for his decorative art and children's portraiture, which Fine Art Connoisseur has praised for combining a "spontaneous response to landscape" with "sensitive renderings of the figure." He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, studying under painter Neil Welliver and receiving his B.F.A. in 1985 and his M.F.A. two years later, in 1987. From 1987 until 1996, he taught drawing, design, and painting at Philadelphia University, Drexel University, Temple Universtiy, the Community College of Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been widely exhibited locally, in New York, and in Philadelphia at such places as the Michener Museum, Doylestown, PA; the Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY; Elan Fine Arts, Rockland, ME; Camden Falls Gallery, Camden, ME; and the Quiet Life, Lambertville, NJ. His work has been reviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times. Him and his wife, fellow painter Corinne Lalin, have lived with their family in Upper Black Eddy, PA since 1987.

Education
B.F.A., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1985
M.F.A., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1987

Teachers and Influences
Neil Welliver, Robert Engman, Hitoshi Nakazato
Influenced by Alex Katz, Fairfield Porter, Marsden Hartley, and Alice Neel

Connection to Bucks County
John and his family have lived in the Bucks County area since 1987.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Founded Brushworks, Inc., a decorative art company in 1989 with his wife Corinne Lalin and sculptor/painter Mark Pettegrow

Major Exhibitions
Solo Exhibition, the Quiet Life Gallery, Lambertville, NJ, 2011
Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Exhibition, New Hope, PA, 2009
Featured Artist, Camden Falls Gallery, Camden, ME, 2009
Group Exhibition, Camden Falls Gallery, Camden, ME, 2008
Paint-Out, Sabine Rose Gallery, Doylestown, PA, 2007-2008, Merit Award Winner in 2008
Solo Exhibition, Des Champs Gallery, Lambertville, NJ, 2007
Group Exhibition, Elan Fine Arts, Rockland, ME, 2004, 2006
Nude Sketches, Frame Carriage Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ, 2005
Story of a River Town, Atelier Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ, 2004
Solo Exhibition, Elan Fine Arts, Rockland, ME, 2003
Inaugural Exhibition, Elan Fine Arts, Rockland, ME, 2003
Savoring Summer, Atelier Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ, 2002
Shown in Philadelphia, Not Yet Known in New York, Krasdale Gallery, Krasdale Foods Corporation, Westchester, NY, 2001, reviewed in the New York Times
Group Exhibition, J & W Gallery, New Hope, PA, 2001
Ian Tornay/John Schmidtberger, Raab Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2001
16 x 20, Raab Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2001
Solo Exhibition, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY, 2001
Group Exhibition, Raab Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2001
New Looks, Prince Street Gallery, NY, NY, 2001
Group Exhibition, Atelier Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ, 2001
Art for Artists’ Sake, Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Benefit Exhibition, Thomas Jefferson University Alumni Hall, Philadelphia, PA, 2001
John Schmidtberger, Corinne Lalin, Haupert Union Gallery, Bethlehem, PA, 1999
Three Person Show, NTWH Gallery, Belfast, ME, 1999
Gallery Artists, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY, 1998-1999, 2001
Post-Pennism, Meyerson Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 1998
Genius Loci, A Sense of Place, Baxter Gallery of Contemporary Art, Portland, ME, 1996
Genius Loci, A Sense of Place, Prallsville Mills Gallery, Stockton, NJ, 1996
John Schmidtberger, Corinne Lalin, The Steamroller Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ, 1995
Design Faculty Biennial, The Paley Design Center, Philadelphia University Philadelphia, PA, 1995
Penn Alumni Exhibition, Meyerson Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 1993
Bucks Biennial, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 1992
Ten Approaches to Nature, The Paley Design Center, Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA, 1992
25th Anniversary Faculty Exhibition, Rotunda Gallery, Philadelphia Community College Philadelphia, PA, 1991
Bucks County Artists: A Cross Section, Hicks Art Center, Newtown, PA, 1991