Skye Kismyth Schulte

Sensual Abstract Art and Photography

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Political and Social Art

After September 11th I was appalled at the way people of Arab or Middle Eastern decent were maligned in the news and media (and still often are today).  This lead me to join the Saudi/American Exchange program to travel to Saudi Arabia to experience the region and the people first hand, and to bring that personal understanding back to the United States. While in Saudi Arabia, I had the opportunity to meet with government leaders in Saudi Arabia to foster cross-cultural understanding between our two countries and represented the program on The Today Show with Katie Couric. Since that experience I have wondered if there was a way to use my passion for art to somehow improve the understanding of that region - to show people here in the United States a different perspective than they might otherwise see  - a more personal perspective of the social and political issues of this region.

 
Good Night and Good Luck illustrates my frustration with the media and the often one-sided reality and sensationalism we see in our news. Especially with the escalating problems in the Middle East and the negative images of Arabs and Muslims, it is hard to know what is true and what is not. So, I seek to show that just like the Red Scare of the 1950’s, we are now moving dangerously close to repeating our previous mistakes. The public must once again demand that truth and justice prevail in order to prevent more bloodshed. The black and white sections represent the news media, with the intense reds evoking the anger, resentment, and destruction that have occurred.
Good Night and Good Luck (16"x20" - Private Collection)
Voices of Saudi Aramco is a series of six separate panels that include sand, acrylic, and photo images from the Saudi Aramco magazine collaged together on canvas panel. Since I returned from Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Aramco magazine has been my connection back to that experience. Every other month I receive the magazine in the mail and have greatly enjoyed the wonderful stories and striking photographs. This publication has been instrumental in keeping those voices and experiences alive for me back here in Boston.
Voices from Saudi Aramco (11"x14" and 12"x16" panels - acrylics, sand, magazine collage on canvas)
Songs of the Sand is the visual representation of my time spent in Saudi Arabia. We had an opportunity to visit a place that until then had not been seen by any Americans outside of one US President. We spent the day learning about the culture and history of the people of Saudi Arabia. As dusk was setting in, we were scattered about in the desert where I had a moment to myself to reflect. Surprisingly, this place of beauty and tranquility reminded me so much of my home in Northern Wisconsin. Though the two places couldn’t be more different physically, the same spirit lived here that lived in that place back home. As the sun was setting over the ancient fortress, I felt this overwhelming sense that there could one day be peace in the world and that all of the hate and bloodshed would one day be a distant memory like the fading sunlight.
Songs of the Sand (20"x28" Acrylics/Sand on Canvas)
Bloods of the Sand is the direct antithesis to my vision of peace and tranquility found in the previous piece, Songs of the Sand. Bloods of the Sand speaks to the perception here in the US of this “violent” region and the amount of bloodshed that has occurred over the ages. The red, white, and blue colors represent the role the United States has played and continues to play in the history of that region. As in the previous piece, Songs of the Sand, Bloods of the Sand uses actual sand as a part of the multi-media work. But in Bloods of the Sand, there is just not enough to soak up the blood from all the wounds this area has witnessed.
Bloods of the Sand (20"x28" Arcylics/Sand on Canvas)
Reflections on September is about the pure emotion I still felt on the 3rd anniversary of September 11th. This piece includes the two towers engulfed in flames-a sorrow that was easiest for me to express with the paint and tears co-mingling on my fingers and hands while painting. The harsh slashes of my fingers scratching into the canvas showcase my anger and frustration with the continued violence and misinformation about this region. And finally, as I completed the piece (tears now drying as the paint dried on my hands and the canvas) there was a softening and a sense that all will rise again like the phoenix.
Reflections on September (24"x30" Acrylic on canvas)
Black and White - Skye Kismyth Schulte
Black and White (20"x24" Acrylic on canvas)
Kismet is an Islamic word that means fate, destiny, or “the will of Allah”. My middle name, Kismyth, is a derivative of this word. During the time I spent in Saudi Arabia, there were so many links back to my life back home that I truly felt it was my destiny to have experienced this country. My uncle raises camels (and I had the chance to ride a camel myself), my grandfather raced horses (I had an opportunity to talk about horseracing with a few of the soldiers we met), I even spoke with the head of Prince Saud Al Faisal’s guard who, as it turns out, also is named “Sky” in Arabic. So I felt an immediate connection with the people and the places around me. This multi-media painting incorporates a number of the photographs I took during my time in Saudi Arabia with sand and acrylic on canvas.
Kismet (24”x30” sand, acrylic, and digitally painted photographs on canvas)
 

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