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Galerie Zuger

“Hide and Seek,” 48” by 48”, mixed media on wood panel

141 e. meadow drive, #208 | vail
970.476.5619  •  galeriezugervail.com

featuring  Anke Schofield

A horse standing on wooden wheels; an elephant balancing on a small home; a young girl, arms crossed, spreading her wings. Anke Schofield’s mixed media inspires a world of limitless imagination.

Her paintings are based on a childlike imagination, which asks, “What would it be if you were dreaming larger than life?” she says. “The scenarios in my paintings are larger than life.”

Anke grew up learning every technical aspect of photography from her father, and she entered art school in Savannah, Georgia, intending to become a photographer. But then she took a painting class.

“I fell in love with painting, but I didn’t necessarily want to let go of photography,” she says. “(But) photography felt a little cold and stale; painting is more fluid, more hands-on.”

And, so, she blended her two passions, along with the enchanting basis behind her work: a childlike dream, a philosophy of living through the imagination.

Now, she incorporates the latest design trends and inspirations she discovers through her many travels. Lately, she has been incorporating hand-painted Portugal tiles in her backgrounds. From her trip to Nepal, she began playing with more color.

“It may be as simple as a pattern, it may be a color, but I always take something back from my travels,” she says.

Though Anke strives to paint in a playful way, with no boundaries and no filters, she does carefully plan out each piece.

“I never step foot into my studio without a plan,” she says.

Still, she allows her idea, or theme, to evolve as she first sketches it in pencil, then considers “tons of different patterns” through computer sketches, and finally, layers photographs and paint, creating multidimensional artwork.

Anke strives to capture the perfect images through photography, then uses paint to step into a realm where there are no rules — where a bear can stand on a 2-inch chair, or a girl can hold a yoga tree pose with just one foot planted upon four stacked houses.

“When you were a kid, you had no boundaries. Your imagination was free and open, and everything was new to you. You lived more in the dream state. I try to pursue that in my art.”

Within her pursuit, she invites viewers to see the world through a different, more inspired, lens, where imagination leads the way.

— by kimberly nicoletti


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