Kristine Schneider Art

Wilderness Series

The word wilderness or a similar translation is used around 300 times in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The wilderness is both a place and a state of the heart. It is sometimes used to describe an uncivilized environment that is desolate, wild, dangerous. Other times it is tranquil, still and nourishing, a place of mercy. Wilderness is a place where we can meet God, and a place we can be tested. He knows the needs of our souls and if we let Him in, we find there is nothing more we need.

Biblical wilderness can seem so far away, but any place can be a wilderness. Busy city streets, highway underpasses, manicured suburban pathways can all be wildernesses because Wilderness is more about Aloneness than it is about a physical location on a map. Aloneness, like Wilderness, can be desolate, wild, dangerous, but also tranquil, still, nourishing, full of mercy. If we choose to rely only on ourselves in the wilderness, we are lost to chance, limited by our own understanding of how to survive. If we choose to listen for the voice of God, creator, we find everything we need.

This ‘Wilderness’ series of paintings tells the story of human experiences in today’s wildernesses. These oil paintings on canvas and linen showcase layers of vibrant color in a dreamy compound of contemporary realism and impressionism.

Original Works

Each of the following oils on canvas are on museum quality canvas and have a Certificate of Authenticity included.

'Covenants in the Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
24" X 30"
$1294

This warm and vibrant oil painting on canvas examines many different kinds of relationships we have with each other. The title Covenants in the Wilderness refers to biblical wilderness and the promises God has made to us. We are family to God; and like a wedding, we celebrate God being near to us just as when he came to live with the Israelites after they wandered the wilderness. This painting uses loose brushstrokes and symbolism to tell multiple stories of how each of us has something to offer to others if only we have eyes to see it.

This painting received the 1st Place Award in Painting at the CAL National 2021, jurored by Heidi Vaughan and Sherry Tseng Hill. It was also awarded Honorable Mention in the 36th Annual Texas and Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition by juror, Andrea Karnes, Senior Curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

'A Place in the Wilderness'

48” X 36”
Oil on Canvas
$2800

In Revelation 12:6 God has “prepared a place in the wilderness” for a woman (a symbol for his people) who will be safe there for 1,260 days. This contradictory, beautifully opposing statement is fascinating. As soon as a place is prepared, then it stops being a wilderness, whose definition requires it being untouched. This oil painting celebrates this with bright, colored light breaking into the dark night to provide a safe place surrounded by dark, unorganized chaos. -Revelation 12:6

'Wandering Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
18” X 14”
$440

The wilderness in the Bible is sometimes lonely and desolate, sometimes full of blessings. The wilderness today can be anywhere we are. This oil on canvas is contemplative of those times we find ourselves alone in the wilderness searching for direction. -Isaiah 43:19

'Nourishing Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
12" X 16"
$368

God brought the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt into the wilderness. One morning they saw the dazzling light of the Lord's presence and after that, nourishing manna covered all of the ground. 'Nourishing Wilderness' is a depiction of how on any day, in any place, we can be fed by God and find that for which we hunger most: truth, love, home… -Exodus 16:10-12

'Isolating Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
28" X 22"
SOLD (Prints Available)

Isolation is a stronghold of mental illness. Sometimes the most crowded places can seem the loneliest. ‘Isolating Wilderness’ is a picture of a solitary human figure in the midst of busyness and anonymity under the sun. If he turns his eyes up to focus on things above life on this Earth, he will find peace and tranquility. -Jeremiah 17:5-13

Isolating Wilderness was featured in the 50th Annual Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art 2020, chosen by juror Cara Manes, Assistant Curator, Museum of Modern Art New York.

Also featured in the Will's Creek Exhibition of Fine Art juried by Jessica Beck, Milton Fine Art Curator at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

'Revelation Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
36” x 24”
SOLD (Prints Available)

Sometimes we can hear the voice of God in the quiet of the wilderness. When the noise of the world is silenced, and we listen closely, His voice can reveal truth, beauty and love. This painting depicts a woman alone in the wilderness partially bathed in sunlight, approaching a clearing in the trees. The vibrant greens and cool shadows give a feeling of peace and calm, as if for a moment, she needs nothing more. -Revelation 12:6

Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape. -bell hooks

'Alluring Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
22" X 28"
$932

Life is hard. It’s difficult to know when we are making the right decisions. Thankfully, we have a God that is full of mercy and lovingkindness. God says of Israel after she has disobeyed and forgotten Him: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” This painting depicts, in vibrant greens and bathed in light, that feeling of welcome, of home that His children feel because of His great grace. -Hosea 2:14

'Chaos Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
24" X 20"
SOLD (Prints Available)

Order is not the cure for chaos but peace is. Before God created the heavens and the earth there was chaos. My life can seem empty and chaotic when I forget the peace gifted to me by my heavenly creator; or I can see peace in any circumstance. ‘Chaos Wilderness’ reminds me that peace can be found even in the midst of chaos. Pictured in this ochre, teal and plum colored, highly patterned cityscape is a chaotic, false sense of order. Peace can be found in the sunlight and hints of clouds reflected in the windows, even though the four lone figures on street level rush about in different directions. -Genesis 1:1-4

This work was featured in the 2020 Providence Art Club’s National Juried Exhbition, juror Matthew Hargraves of Yale Museum of British Art.

'Pleading Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
20” X 10”
SOLD (Prints Available)

Retreating to a quiet place allows our frustrations to be heard. ‘Pleading Wilderness’ tells the story of a man frustrated by life’s circumstances, releasing his struggle up to the sky with his right hand and asking for help with his left. The calm and crisp, green scenery provides contrast to this and also reminds us to release control and look up for clarity, truth and help. -Proverbs 3:5-6

'Fear Not Wilderness'

Oil on Canvas
14" X 11"
SOLD (Prints Available)

Aloneness in a solitary place can give us reprieve from worry. This beautiful little scene glows with vibrant greens and shocking sunlight. The woman pictured has a worried face and body language. Hopefully somewhere along her walk she remembers God has a plan so much greater than what she can imagine. -Psalm 136:16

This work was chosen by juror, Thomas Motley to be featured in the 2020 Center for Contemporary Arts National Exhibit in Abilene, TX

'Longing Wilderness'

Longing Wilderness
16” X 20”
Oil on Canvas
SOLD (Prints Available)

In Psalm 63, David is exiled to the wilderness, separated from God. “...my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” ‘Longing Wilderness’ tells familiar stories of human interactions that are often “a dry and weary land” and will never quench our thirst. We are all longing, searching together and never alone.