Transcendence
Life Size | Male | Bronze | Edition of 10
Reflections on the strength and unwavering perseverance of the Human Spirit in the face of tragedy inflicted by man, elements or circumstance.
Click on thumbnail to view sculpture
Dr. Peter Schmid has a passion for sculpting. He finds inspiration in the trials of life, the human spirit and history and pours it into his expressive sculptural portraitures.
Schmid seeks to find common ground that speaks to the viewer emotionally and spiritually. He taps into his scientific understanding of human anatomy, his surgical career, and his holistic approach to human relationships. “Art is the highest form of human expression,” said Schmid. “Art has complimented my work as a plastic surgeon, allowing me to see and express myself more profoundly – it allows the integration of heart, hand, mind and soul.”
From an early age, Schmid was guided by his mother, Jeanne, who put a pencil in his hand and encouraged him to draw. However, his father, Michael, also tremendously influenced him and Schmid’s dreams became divided. “I was strongly affected by my father, my father’s patients and his devotion to medicine as a family practitioner,” said Schmid. He chose to pursue medicine that fueled his artistic passion, and found resolution in cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery. “It allowed me to integrate my love of helping people and fulfill my spiritual and creative needs,” he said.
After completing medical school, Schmid pursued further plastic surgery training abroad under the direction of world-class surgeons. After training in Rio de Janiero, he wound up in Europe and experienced the works of the Renaissance Masters. “I was emotionally overcome by the spiritual impact radiating from the awe-inspiring innate beings,” he said. The magnificent works of Rodin, ichelangelo, Bernini and Botticelli spoke to him.“You realize that God must have a hand in prodigy, talent and destiny.”
Schmid’s surgical practice would take priority over the next decade, but he never forgot how touched he was, and he later pursued formal training in three dimensional sculptures with Russian sculptor Valentine Okorokov and was accepted to the Master Class of American sculptor, Richard McDonald.
“Finding grace in a gesture, shape and or line, or personal conflict breathes life into the clay. It turns the inanimate into the sublime,” he said. For Schmid, to feel and communicate, the artist must connect and find solace through personal experience in love, celebration, suffering, loss or despair.
Life’s experience allows the artist to draw from a broad pallet of expression. “When we dare to get out of our comfort zones and take a few risks, we inevitably find personal growth and understand more clearly the message and meaning of life.”
Dr. Peter Schmid is a Board Certified Cosmetic, Facial Plastic and Head/Neck Reconstructive Surgeon and Otolaryngologist. He is on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the Chairman of the American Academy of Liposuction Surgeons, a distinguished member of the American Osteopathic College of Otolaryngology, Head/Neck Surgery, and an educational speaker for the National Education Faculty of Allergan Pharmaceuticals. Schmid is married to wife, Anne, and has two daughters, Chloe (11) and Sophie-Anne (10). He resides in Longmont, Colorado.
Article courtesy of the ART Enthusiast.
Longmont Council for the Arts, 501c3
