Greetings and welcome from Kaleidoscope Alcohol Ink Art.  My name is Louise Schine and I am a self-taught, visual artist.  My medium is Alcohol Ink, and I work on Yupo paper and canvas.

I am a retired educator, living in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I have worked on all levels of education from preschool school through college, including teaching and administration.  While I am new as a visual artist, art is in my background, as I began music lessons at the age of 6 carrying through my life into my professional life as a public school band and chorus teacher.  I continue to this day to participate in events from time in my church choir.  Throughout my life, I have enjoyed the arts as both a participant and as a member of audiences. 

Growing up, I watched my mother, who was a brilliant crafter, arrange silk flowers, paint, make dolls, and various other items that fascinated and thrilled not only our family, but may others as well.  As I grew up, I watched, helped, learned and listened and tried to become the crafter that my mother was.  I still find great joy and pleasure in silk floral arranging.

Many decades later, I was introduced to Alcohol ink painting by a dear friend who is also my nail technician.  She uses alcohol ink as nail art.  I thought that the art on my nails was just lovely.   She suggested that I try the medium, as regular art.  At her suggestion, I hopped onto You Tube, did some more research and was at once, hooked.  Using the fluid, brilliant colors allowed me an expressive freedom that I had never experienced before.

My work is abstract, sometimes using alcohol ink alone in a piece, and at other times incorporating fabric.  I find that I resonate with the beautiful fabric, colors, and patterns of African fabric, and Japanese kimono silk fabric. Each lend themselves to my imagination and blend with the colors of the alcohol ink and its swoops, swirls and patterns, taking me to ”mountain forests”, allowing me to envision “warriors women”, “cranes in the moonlight”, “imperial dragons”, and many other wonderful and  fantastical visions.  My imagination is limitless.

For me, producing art is meditative, and relaxing, as well as expressive.  It is like my music, a place in which I can lose my reality based conscious self, while find all of the emotional parts of myself in their purest form with no judgement, no speculation, just what and who I am at that particular moment in time.  Joy, exhilaration, sadness, fear, anger, and all other emotions can be expressed through art.  In addition I want my art to bring joy and pleasure to others.  When I can express myself and bring happiness to others, I feel that I have done something good not just for myself but the person who enjoys my art.  Throughout my life I have always wanted to help others and bring joy into their lives.  If I can be expressive and bring happiness to others at the same time, I feel that I have done just a little bit to make my environment a better place.