Anne Schaefer

Anne Schaefer’s studio practice is centered on the creation of vibrant, immersive works that explore the relationship between color, form, and perception. Through painting and large-scale installations, she crafts optical experiences that challenge and engage the viewer on multiple levels. Each work is the result of careful exploration of materials, processes, and substrates, with the goal of fostering a layered dialogue of abstract expression.

She believes in a non-hierarchical approach to making, where every artistic decision is fluid and responsive to the evolving needs of the piece. Schaefer works interchangeably with painting, screen printing, and digital surface treatments, creating an open space for discovery and resolution in the studio. By layering these media, she pushes the boundaries of visual language, often pulling from discarded or "failed" elements to generate new imagery. This process is both iterative and introspective, contributing to the depth of the work.

The interplay of color and form in her practice extends across multiple works, allowing each piece to inform and influence the others. Like a composer reworking familiar motifs, Schaefer remixes and reworks elements from her past creations, whether through silkscreen or digital manipulation, to develop new narratives and textures. These by-products of her studio practice become integral to the work, enriching it with conceptual depth and visual complexity.

Schaefer embraces the unique qualities of each material, working with an experimental mindset and paying close attention to the way each layer, stroke, or print responds to the next. Her process is never prescriptive; each piece is shaped by the discoveries made along the way, finding form in conversation with its own creation. The result is a practice rooted in tactility and structured response, where color and pattern form a language of discovery.

Schaefer’s work has been exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions across the United States. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University and a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She has actively participated in artist residencies, including a fellowship at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, and has spent over 15 years teaching art at the university level. In addition to her studio practice, Schaefer has been a member of several artist collectives, such as Vox Populi as well as Tiger Strikes Asteroid, where she served as director from 2011-2013. She currently resides and works in upstate New York.