Henry J. Schmidt (American, 1951- ) a native of Western New York, has been a successful artist for over 40 years, working primarily in painting and sculpture. Henry Schmidt was born on December 26, 1951 and was raised in Buffalo, NY. He studied art at Syracuse University where he earned BFA in Painting & Illustration in 1974, and his Master of Education in Art and General Studies from SUNY State College at Buffalo in 1981. His professional career includes fine arts, oil and acrylic paintings, sculpture, art education, commercial/digital illustration, portraits of people & animals, religious/inspirational paintings, war paintings & drawings, graphic design, art direction, television production, photography as well as limited edition prints.Mr. Schmidt is also a juried Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan (2015-Present).
From 1975-1982, Schmidt worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer before being hired as Art Director for WKBW-TV in Buffalo, NY where he worked from 1982-89, and where he won a Gold Broadcast Designers Association Award for his graphic work in “Technical Difficulties” in 1985. He left WKBW-TV in February of 1989, to take a position with the Fisher-Price toy company (subsidiary of Mattel since 1993) based out of East Aurora, NY where he worked for over 24 years; first as Manager Product Art (1989-1994), then as Senior Manager Product Art (1994-2000) and later as Director of Product Art & Sculpture (2000-2013) from which he retired in 2013.
Since 2014, he has focused on developing his own personal artwork as well as exploring ways to involve himself within the greater local arts community. In addition, he has been self-employed with his own firm, Henry Schmidt Art & Design, where he provides creative direction for Fortune 500 clients, senior level executives, merchandisers and buyers to support marketing plans and brand strategies throughout the Buffalo/Niagara and New York areas. He was also Buffalo Maritime Center’s first artist-in-residence, where he is involved with the development of the Buffalo Maritime Bronze Foundry teaching other artists and members of the community to cast bronze (2016-Present).
Schmidt has exhibited his artwork in several group shows throughout Western New York including, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY (2012, 2016), the Artists Group Gallery in Buffalo, NY (2017, 2018) the Kenan Center, Lockport, NY, and The Benjaman Gallery in Buffalo.
Commissioned work has included the 155th New York Infantry Regiment Monument titled, “At the Ready” which commemorates Civil War veterans from Buffalo that included men from Companies I & K, who were mostly Irish immigrant volunteers and were the only one out of the five Civil War regiments not memorialized in Buffalo up to that point. The large bronze and granite monument was permanently installed at the Buffalo and Erie County Military & Naval Park along Buffalo’s inner harbor (formerly known as The Buffalo Naval and Servicemen’s Park) and was dedicated on September 28, 2002. Schmidt is also a Civil War reenactor with the 155th NY Volunteer Infantry and some of his reenactment buddies served as models for the monument. Schmidt stated about the design:
"My design depicts common Civil War infantry soldiers standing ready to defend our nation’s flag, symbolizing the vigilance freedom requires. The flag also extends forward, beyond the edge of the monument as if to offer freedom to all. By honoring the 155th, our heritage is remembered through recognition of their great sacrifice." —Henry Schmidt
Exhibitions:
2023- Art in Craft Media, Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY. Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, N.Y. Art auction & Gala.
2022- Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY Art auction & Gala.
2021- Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY Art auction & Gala.
2019- Contemporary Portraiture, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY.
2018- Trilogies 24, the work of three artists, Artists Group Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Artists Group Gallery, Buffalo, NY 8th Annual Non-Juried Members Exhibit.
2017- 26th Regional Artists Exhibition, The Western NY Artists Group, Buffalo NY.
2016- Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY 50th anniversary art auction. Works on Canvas, Buffalo Club, Buffalo, NY.
2012- The Artists Among Us ll, Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY. Fragments, cast paper, RedFish Gallery, East Aurora, NY.
1998- 29th Annual Niagara Frontier Art Exhibition, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY.
1997- Regional ‘97, 6th Annual Regional Artists Exhibit Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, NY. 28th Annual Niagara Frontier Art Exhibition, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY.
1995- Trails End Gallery, Stow, NY.
1993- Paintings & Drawings, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY.
1992- 24th Annual Niagara Frontier Art Exhibition, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY.
1991- 23rd Annual Niagara Frontier Art Exhibition, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY.
1989- 3rd Annual Art at the Site Exhibition, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Nat. Historic Site, Buffalo, NY.
1988- Artist ’88, Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1987- Herdmanns Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Drawings, Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Artist ’87, Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1984- Paintings, Drawings, and Prints, Benjaman’s Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. International Art Expo’, New York, NY.
1983- International Art Expo’, New York, NY.
1978- Paintings and Drawings, Butler Library, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY. 39th Western New York Exhibition, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1974- The Society of Illustrators Annual Scholarship Competition Exhibition, New York, NY.
Public Commissions:
2021- “La Terra Promessa”, (The Promised Land). Commissioned by The Federation of Italian- American Societies of Western NY, Inc. City of Buffalo’s Columbus/Prospect Park. Work in progress.
2020- “Wedding of the Waters” The sculpture depicts Dewitt Clinton’s opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, Longshed building, Canalside, Buffalo NY, New York State Council on the Arts Regional Economic Development grant.
2002- The 155th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment Monument commissioned by the 155th New York Volunteer
Infantry Reenactment Regiment to design and sculpt a monument commemorating Buffalo’s original 155th N.Y. Civil
War regiment; completed 2002 and incorporated into Buffalo’s waterfront, Naval & Servicemen’s Park.
2000- The Captain Peter Wiles Sr. Canal Achievement Award commissioned by the Canal Society of New York State to
design and sculpt an achievement award, the first of which was given to New York State Senator Daniel P.
Moynihan.
Collections: Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo NY; Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, Buffalo NY; Cirque Du Soleil, Corporate Headquarters, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Fisher-Price, Mattel Corporate Headquarters, East Aurora, NY.
(Written & compiled by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY, sources: Biographical information from the artist; burchfieldpenney.org, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY, "Henry Schmidt (b. 1951)".)