Meet Melissa Schainker | Fine Artist and Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Schainker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
To be a fine artist is an inherent risk. We’ve all had the term starving artist drilled into our skulls. For me, the rewards always outweighed the risks. At 18, I packed up my car and moved myself 5 hours from my hometown on a full-ride scholarship and a dream. To say being an artist came without hiccups would be a lie. I worked in design for a decade in Saint Louis. I felt this was a more marketable way to use my illustration skills. After that, I worked my way through a graduate program in Web Design and New Media in San Francisco at the Academy of Art University, before my son was born. Motherhood took priority and I moved across the country to New York where I had my daughter. I grew restless with parenting as my sole profession and began to exhibit fine art in 2017 in the city. With the culmination of my background in advertising and fine art, the shows became more numerous and I made the decision to open my studio in 2020. Now just three years later, but with 20-plus years of training, I have exhibited globally, have my works in the homes of collectors as far as Singapore and have graced the pages of many prestigious publications including British Vogue, UP Magazine, The Untitled Magazine, The World of Interiors and Canvas Rebel. All of this would not have been possible without taking huge, but calculated risks.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a figurative surrealist oil painter, who dabbles in street art and music. I have always been deeply creative and vacillated between art and music. I was a classically-trained trumpet player and transitioned to guitar later. At one point, I was torn between pursuing art or music as a profession, but decided my skills as an artist exceeded my musicianship. I would describe my music as a creative outlet from my main creative outlet. My daily routine involves drawing, painting and playing guitar. A successful day hits all those marks.

My professional fine art career evolved from years of training. I studied painting and graphic design in undergrad at the University of Southern Indiana and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where I earned my bachelors. I continued MFA studies in San Francisco and was just shy of completion. I have also taken supplemental painting at New York Academy of Art. I firmly believe art is a pursuit of life-long training and while outsider art has it’s validity, I crave technique. I believe it makes a better artist.

Street art fell into my lap in an organic way. Due to the gritty and bold art I make, it leant itself to exhibitions within the street art community in New York City. I often describe my work as bridging the gap between fine art and street art. Through these connections, I have created a couple of solo murals in New York City and a handful of collaborative ones. I also wheat paste and post stickers as a means to advertise my art, guerrilla-style.

Lastly, my motherhood challenged me to pursue art fully. Before I had children, I was content to work in design and supplement with fine art as a hobby. Being a parent shifted my mindset back to my early dreams. I want to be true to myself and make my family proud by pursuing art to its fullest extent. What feeds my soul is creating, exhibiting and sharing art with the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I can only speak to New York City with regards to this question. Whenever out of town friends visit, art and music are always on the itinerary. I can’t say that it would be any particular spots, but rather wherever my communities have events at that moment in time. I attend art openings, my own and others, every week. As far as music goes, I love Saint Vitus in Greenpoint for a small venue, but I attend shows all over the city when I can.

We are so spoiled with food choices in New York, ranging from high-end to low brow and they’re all delicious. I live and work downtown, so my go-to spots are all around there. For impressing out of town guests, I’d choose Crown Shy or Le Gratin in my neighborhood. Slices at Joe’s and Chinese Food at Wo Hop are good on a budget. I’m a seafood fiend and find myself often at the oyster bar in The Tin Building, Jean-Georges Vongericheten’s high-end food hall.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Louis Angel and Richard Ponzi – colleagues, curators and fellow artists

Website: https://www.mschainkerfineart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mschainkerfineart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-schainker-403b695/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schainkerm

Image Credits
Eugene Manning – Headshot Tahica Fredericks – Mural Justin Munoz – Guitar