Spring-2023

112 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 streets of Chicago, Schuler visited all the city’s art galleries and forged relationships with their owners. “Over the years, I’d show my work and they would say ‘no, you’re not ready yet,’ but they encouraged me.” She showed this body of work to her two favorite galleries and for the first time the reaction was: “You’re onto some- thing. But it’s too dark. It’s great work, but we can’t show it.” “That was all I needed to hear,” the artist says. “Okay.That’s not a ‘no.’ A couple of months later I got my first show. It sold out.” That early, darker style has evolved into Schuler’s current light, airy and friendlier approach, but she still considers them highly personal parts of her personality. Perhaps that’s a function of age, of being more settled and comfortable in life. Her paintings depict willowy, standing female figures (that look somewhat like the artist herself), but lately—since she’s moved to Carmel—Schuler has begun creating seated figures. “I haven’t done that in years. I’ll continue to produce the standing figures at this point because that’s what I’m known for and they continue to feed my soul, but I will continue to branch out into other things I want to do.” One of those “other things” is sculpture. At one point, Schuler started experimenting with clay, seeing if she could bring her vision into the three-dimensional world. “But I didn’t start with an armature, so the figures sagged,” she recalls. Once she started making armatures out of wire, she had a revelation: they could be works of their own. “Making the armature for the piece really got to me. The wire reminded me of the knife marks in my paintings, and I loved the idea of being able to see through them.They’re more ethereal beings. I’m into the idea that we are spiritual beings in temporary bodies and these sculptures illustrate that.” She continues to make these sculptures—it’s an extremely time consuming, painstaking, even physically painful process—but she says, “Painting is and has always been my go-to.” “My vision is for my paintings to still be around a thousand years from now. So, I put a lot of work into them.” Schuler begins a canvas with four layers of prep, then many layers of oil paint, applied with a palette knife. Each stage requires a drying process. From start to finish, her paintings take up to 12 weeks to complete. “Once they’re thoroughly dry, I apply a process called ‘oiling out,’ a mixture of resin and solvent that bonds the paint layers. They’re solid works by the time they’re finished.” Schuler has recently partnered with Relativity Textiles to create wallpapers and custom fabrics that feature her iconic imagery.“I see this collec- tion as a way for those who would like to bring my work into their homes in new ways.” Has living in Carmel affected her work? “I feel relaxed, serene, reflective,” Schuler says. “Some- thing new has come out in me since I’ve been here. My energy is different, definitely. I feel really good. I’m in paradise.” For more information and to view more of Schuler’s work, visit www.reneromeroschuler.com . “Women for Women” O n Saturday, May 13th from 3-6PM, Schuler will host “Women forWomen” at her Monterey studio, located at 559 Tyler Street. Featuring the works of several local artists, proceeds benefit The Gathering for Women Monterey (www.gatheringforwomen.org) , an organization that provides homeless women with supportive resources and a caring community. “Seaside,” 2022, oil on canvas, 52 x 64 in. “Anikai,” 2022, oil on canvas, 60 x 54 in.