Influenced by minimalism and abstract expressionism, Cindy Neuschwander allows simple shapes and nuanced lines to take form in sophisticated compositions. Her marks are purely organic—varied, imperfect, and soulful. Her media varies—monochromatic pastels, oil and wax canvases, and encaustic—yet they share a similar energy as lines dance with distinction, intensified by bold color and application. She states “My process is one of continual adding and subtracting, where rawness is countered by periods of intentional recovery. This intuitive unfolding is at the core of my most recent abstractions, a method that echoes the working of an etching plate. Rubbed, pigmented, and rubbed again, erased passages can resemble pocked stone or a distant space. Marks drawn with a blade come and go, gestures thin as hair, surprise elements that ask for intimacy and synthesis. What remains is evidence of a desire to lay bare moments of authenticity.” A Texas native, Neuschwander received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas, Austin and her Master of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work is held in several important collections, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Federal Reserve Bank, Markel Corporation, Altria Group, Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Collection, all, Richmond, VA; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA; and Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC; among others. She lived and worked in Richmond, VA until her passing in 2012.
