Meet Kathleen R. O’Neill Schuler | Visual Artist & Freelance Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathleen R. O’Neill Schuler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathleen R. O’Neill, how do you think about risk?
Both taking risks, and not taking risks have played a significant role in my life and career. I have always thought for myself, remained true to my convictions, and that is a risk. Every time you create anything new and different, that is a risk. Not thinking you are good enough to take the risk is a risk as well because at some point you will be faced with the reality that you never risked doing it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My creative process springs from the love of a strong concept that communicates a message effectively with good design, and positive impact. I try to portray ideas or a dynamic.

Throughout my life I was intrigued and influenced by visual information. Visual information is all around us and we can absorb it at an extremely fast rate.

Being the descendent of Irish Catholic immigrant grandparents here in the US, I grew up with Roman Catholic Church art. As the Romans never did reach the shores of Ireland, I always felt a bit of a disconnect to those images in relation to my own cultural ancestry. Adding to this confusion was the St. Patrick Day story with the shiny green shamrocks, pots of gold, and snakes being driven out of Ireland. I would have to say my relationship with my ancestral cultural images was conflicted, and that conflict made me very in tune to images in general as none are without purpose. Someone is always holding the View Catcher so to speak.

My childhood home was lovely; my mom would reupholster furniture and she was a great cook. I had no direct exposure to fine art per se, but a great deal of exposure to the practical arts through her. My dad once said when he was helping me with my math homework that many people were paid an awful lot of money to make a simple concept seem difficult. Good design simplifies the complex.

I graduated college with a Fine Art Major, and a Minor in Art Education.  My senior art show was a grouping of very large non-objective paintings.  Perhaps my biggest influencers at that time were the abstract expressionists Adolph Gottlieb, Helen Frankenthaler and the pop artist George Segal.

After graduating I took a Commercial Illustration class with the illustrator James Spanfeller from Parson’s School of Design, and he introduced me to a tool called the Rapidograph technical pen. He was my next big influencer, and I found his work to be the perfect interplay between fine and commercial art.

I did not pursue either direction at the time, spent a short period in corporate advertising, and while raising my children exposed them to creative endeavors through their growing up years.

I revisited my artist self in 2010.  In 2015 I pursued graphic design technology. I am a visual artist and freelance graphic designer.

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?
Our beaches are always a treat. There are numerous nature preserves and wetlands. Museums and cultural institutions are a must. Many communities and neighborhoods offer quality dining and entertainment. All have a distinct flavor of their own.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I appreciate the many cultural, educational institutions, and galleries who support and show thoughtful, creative, and distinctive work in South Florida. I am thankful to persons who show support for me and my work. On a very personal level, I am thankful for my family.

Website: https://www.imijartndesign.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/imijartndesign

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kathleenroneillschuler

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleenroneillschuler.imijartndesign