Kalina Schneider

Artist Statement

I'm interested in the good, the bed and the ugly that exists in each of us. My recent work focuses on women, their beauty, vulnerability and feelings. It's what lies beneath that's what I am interested in. Looking past the obvious and digging deeper into personal and sometimes dark territory.
In recent years I have been exploring The Journey of self discovery, an internal pilgrimage that we are often not fully aware of, or on the contrary aware but terrified of it. I discovered that during that quest we have to ask ourselves uncomfortable questions and receive often very painful answers.
Without pain however, there's no illumination.


As a young artist in collage in my twenties I was working in oil paints and acrylics. Even then I was drawn to femineity but in more anatomical perspective. I abandoned painting after I moved to London in 2000. Just to find myself experiencing this creative starvation some 20 years later. Only this time my medium is digital camera and Adobe Photoshop.I love the freedom to be able to change anything I want and then change it some more.
There's one thing I miss- it's the smell of turpentine.

Biography

Kalina Schneider was born and raised in Poland. In her early years she was interested in visual arts and was drawing and painting. She had a few successful exhibitions in her home town- Katowice.
She also holds a Maters Degree from Silesian University where she studied Cultural Studies and Art History.

After finishing college, she took a sabbatical and was working in a travel industry in Turkey and Egypt. In 2000 she moved to London, UK where she had a short love affair with fashion design and started her own fashion line...

In 2006 she moved to Kingdom of Bahrain to work for their flag airline. While in the Middle East she met and married her husband Kelly Schneider. Kalina's passion for art combined Kelly's love of traveling the world, ignited their mutual interest in photography.

Kalina together with her husband Kelly Schneider own Ksfinearts photography studio specializing in Fine Art Beauty Portraits, Boudoir and photography education.
http://www.Ksfinearts.com

Kalina enjoys creating her own costumes and styling for KSfinearts workshops and international photography adventures, client sessions and works as stylist with other photographers. She recently introduced Fantasy Portraits to the KSfinearts portfolio.

In 2020 they left Washington DC and moved to Florida where they continue their journey. Since 2020 Kalina's focus has been conceptual art and fantasy. Photography being her original medium is allowing her to experiment with her digital photo manipulations. She loves printing her work on art paper and metal.


Kalina is a member of Professional Photographers of America and American Society of Photographers.
https://www.ksfinearts.com
https://500px.com/kalinaschneider
http://www.instagram.com/kalinaschneider_art


In 2020 Kalina earned her Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman Degrees in a period of only 3 years.

She was also awarded Platinum Medal in Photographic Open Competition 2020 International Photographic Competition and Gold Medal in 2019.

She has been awarded Professional Photographer of the Year 2018 and Professional Artist Photographer of the Year 2018 in the state of Maryland PPA.

Other awards:
WPE International Photography Awards 2021(Professional Photographers Europe Community):
Silver Award for Individual

Honors of Excellence WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photography International):

Silver Award for Portrait Contemporary Composite.
Sliver Award for Individual 2019 First Half.
Sliver Award for Individual 2019 First Half.

Award of Excellence with MPI (Master Photographers International) 2019 for Portrait Story.

WPE International Photography Awards (Professional Photographers Europe Community):

Silver Award for Photo manipulation.
Silver Award for Photo manipulation.
Bronze Award for Photo manipulation.
Silver Award for Portrait.
Silver Award for Individual.

2019 International Print Competition (PPA) :
Gold Medalist- Photographic Open Competition

Portrait Masters 2021
Silver Medal

Exhibition History (CV)