Meet the Artists with Mary Schuman & Carine Lutz

Join us at the JCC to explore the work of and meet two incredible local artists! This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments provided.

Mary Schuman

I have always had a lifelong love of art.  While growing up in Minneapolis, I took classes at the Minneapolis Art Institute, Walker Art Center and Minneapolis College of Art. One of my earliest art memories was painting on an easel with tempura paint on newsprint in our basement while my mother did the laundry. Since 2004, I have been studying experimental color painting with color painter, Leslie Masters.

My paintings are inspired by my love of color, shape and line. I explore the beauty of color through abstract organic images.  In addition to color, I am interested in how shapes relate to each other and how lines define the composition. While I primarily paint with acrylic paint, I enjoy exploring and using a wide variety of materials and techniques. I like to work on stretched canvas as well as various types of paper. Having studied experimental painting for the past twenty years has been exciting and fun.

Carine Lutz

My paper choices are just as much a love affair as the folding. I enjoy learning about papers and the way each are made and how each type will work better for certain
projects. Recently I have been using handmade papers form Hollanders (the paper store that was in Kerry Town and now on line), but if it folds, I’ll try and make something – Origami paper, wrapping paper, copy paper, scrap paper, even candy wrappers. My husband gifted me a professional paper cutter and when I cut, each piece gets turned 4 times to make it evenly squared. Sometimes cutting for a project can take just as long as the folding.

I am not an Origami Master but content with being a dedicated enthusiast. Most Origami artists are about the complex fold, sometimes spending hours on one piece. For me, I am about the mass folding of simple pieces that work together as a whole. The Art is in putting it together in a sometimes complex way that shows the pleasing details. When discovering Origami, you will quickly find it is an art form that is open to all, from beginner to master, both children and adult. Doing a simple web search you will see the beautiful ways people express their personalities with paper. I encourage you to view a YouTube video and see how vast the paper folding world is. You will be surprised to find there is a place for you.