Sandra Schoenholtz
Sandra Schoenholtz
From early childhood, I was captured by the world of nature, spending hours walking in the
woods, along fields, watching water and sky. I studied art in college and was certified in art
education. I began teaching art in a middle school out of college. But for much of my career, I
have worked in special education, teaching adolescents with significant social/emotional
challenges. I was always able to incorporate art making in my work with my students, for which
I am grateful. This afforded me the opportunity to make art of my own while teaching and
raising my family. Some of my work has been influenced by Native American spiritual practices;
my life-long spiritual quest brought me to Tibetan Buddhism. These influences continue to
support and nourish my connection with the natural world.
I stopped making art for a long period, and though I wanted to return to art making, this didn’t
happen until the pandemic lock-down. Doing a daily drawing challenge with an artist friend got
me back into the routine. Now that I am retired, I have continued to produce work based on my
forays and interest in nature.
Some of my mixed media pieces are based on Native American Moon Cycles. Similar to
astrology, each work is based on the cycle of a person’s birthdate, and includes a spirit animal,
color, mineral, plant, and clan association. Most recently, I’ve been experimenting with colored
pencil and solvent to complete drawings of plants, stones, insects, mushrooms and feathers
that I have found on my daily walks.
