Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Schroeder.
Hi Christopher, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in 1968 in Valparasio, Indiana. I lived there until I was nine years old and moved in 1977 to Michigan with my family. I was accepted to Kendall College of Art and Design, graduating in 1991. I then moved to Austin, Texas in 1992. When I was just a boy, I would constantly draw. These drawings would be imaginary environments with sharks, swinging ropes, and underground tunnels. When I was around 13 or 14, I started a prolonged pursuit of comic books. I focused on collecting anything from the artist John Byrne.
College helped me focus on different techniques, different ways of expressing myself. Then I recently tuned into Abstract Expressionism. Focusing on the works of Wilhem de Kooning, Joan Mitchel, and Franz Kline. Though I have many artistic influences, those seemed to gravitate to me the most.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road! I have had little success in view of getting into art galleries here in Austin!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most proud of the way I perceive myself now as an artist. I have struggled for a long time to be a success. But, lately, I realize that all the work I have sold, made, and shown, it is a product of my true success. I have psychologically internalized my success, though, in some fashion, it hasn’t materialized in the exterior world. Basically, I am a success in my own right.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is drawing from the comic books I had.
