Iz Schrader

Iz Schrader discusses her practice with us in Issue 1:

ART MAKER: What is the central theme or concept that drives your current body of work?

IZ SCHRADER: My favorite theme to explore is the beauty in the mundane. There’s something so intriguing to me about taking an everyday scene and transforming it into a whimsical, color-rich slice of life. Reimagining what may be viewed as traditionally unglamorous as something inspiring has totally shifted my outlook on the world. I think things would flow a lot smoother in this universe if everyone was open to recognizing that, so by sharing my art, I hope to nudge people in such a direction. Life feels fuller when you allow yourself to be captivated by charm of a gas station or a telephone tower or a street corner, just to name a few of my go-to subjects.

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ART MAKER: Are there any non-traditional spaces or contexts in which you would like to exhibit your work?

IZ SCHRADER: I am currently doing a series of illustrations of gas stations, and I think it’d be tons of fun to actually showcase them in a gas station somehow. As of now I have 45 different drawings that would need to be displayed. A real exhibition that’s just located inside some local gas station might be too conventional, but it’d be somewhere to start. Taking the dream a little further would be like turning an abandoned, overgrown gas station into a funky art gallery; that would be awesome.

Explore more of Iz's work and interview in >> ART MAKER Issue 1.

Iz Schrader, Z Mart, 2023, ballpoint pen on paper, 11 in x 8.5 in, images courtesy of the artist.