About William A. Schneider
William works in oil and pastel. He views figures, landscape, or still life as opportunities to explore the effects of light on form. Painting from life, he seeks to capture the emotion of a particular moment and place. Sargent, Zorn, Fechin, and Sorolla have been influences.
William initially studied art at the University of Illinois at Urbana. However, upon graduation he began a career in the music business (records on the Roulette and MGM labels). In the mid ‘80s, he entered finance (co-owner of an investment consulting firm, DiMeo Schneider and Associates). In 1990 he returned to his first love, painting. His skills were honed at the AmericanAcademy of Art in Chicago where he studied figure drawing with William Parks and oil painting with Ted Smuskiewicz. He continued his education through workshops with Carolyn Anderson, Dan Gerhartz, Scott Burdick, Harley Brown, Scott Christensen, Huihan Liu, David Leffel, and Richard Schmid among others.
William has been featured in Art of the West, Southwest Art, American Artist, Fine Art Connoisseur, International Artist, The Pastel Journal, and WorkshopMagazines. In addition his paintings have appeared in numerous books including: The Art of Oil Painting, Pastel II, Pure Color: The Best of Pasteland 100 ways to paint People & Figures. His work has received awards in exhibitions including those of: Academic Artists, The Degas Pastel Society, Oil Painters of America, The Pastel Society of America, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Portrait Society of America, and Salon International.
He is a member of Oil Painters of America (OPA), The National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS), The Pastel Society of America, The American Impressionist Society (AIS), and the Portrait Society of America. Bill was awarded signature status in OPA, and NOAPS . In addition the Pastel Society of America has recognized him as a “Master Pastelist” and AIS made him a Master Signature Member (AISM). His home is in Crystal Lake, IL with his wife Caren.
Recent Awards
International Association of Pastel Societies Biennial Exhibition “Prix de Pastel” (Best of Show)
Bosque Art Classic in 2013 (Gold Medal)
Pastel Painters of Maine National Show (Best of Show)
30th Annual Bosque Art Classic (2nd Place)
Pastel Society of the West Coast (Portrait & Figure Award)
Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition (Merit Award)
Magazine Publications:
· Capturing Emotion, American Artist Magazine, February 2001
· True Expression, Focus/ Santa Fe, September 2003
· Art Values, Southwest Art Magazine, November 2003
· It’s About Meaning, Art of the West Magazine, November 2004
· International Showcase of Master Pastel Painters, International Artist Magazine, Oct.- Nov 2004
· Master Portrait Artists’ Showcase, International Artist Magazine, February 2005
· William A. Schneider, The Pastel Journal, February 2005
· Start Your Collection, Southwest Art Magazine, April 2005
· Self-Portraits: Journey Through The Looking Glass, Art-Talk Magazine April 2005
· 2007Guidebook of Art, (Cover image) Art of the West Magazine 2007
· The Eyes Have It, The Pastel Journal, January 2008
· Painting the Mouth, American Artist Magazine, March 2008
· The Studio of William Schneider, Art of the West Magazine, July 2009
· Competition Spotlight, The Artist¹s Magazine, April 2010
. The Good Guys – Masculine portraits from six talented artists , Southwest Art Magazine, January 2011
Instructional Books
· Oil Landscapes, Schneider, Hampton, Obermeyer, & Short, Walter Foster Publishing 2002
· The Art of Oil Painting, Walter Foster Publishing 2003
· Pastel II, William Schneider, Walter Foster Publishing 2004
· How did you paint that? 100 ways to paint People & Figures, International Artist Publishing, 2005
· Pure Color: The Best of Pastel, North Light Books, 2005
Videos (Liliedahl Video Productions)
Princess – Composition in Warm Light
Design Secrets of the Masters; The key to a Successful Painting
Teaching the Limited Palette Techniques of Anders Zorn
Inner Flame –Composing Multiple Figures in Low, Warm Light
