Contemporary artist Jennie Traill Schaeffer stumbled upon the idea of painting portraits of wedding cakes after creating a series commemorating her own. Deemed “the Kitchen God’s Artist” by NJ Savvy Living Magazine, contemporary artist Jennie Traill Schaeffer is a graduate of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (2000). She studied with painters Jerome Witkin, Gary Trento, and John Thompson while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. Schaeffer received the “Hiram Gee Award,” given each year to a graduating senior painting major.
Named one of the NJ Herald’s 2009 “20 Under 40” and 2006’s “Best New Artist” by the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council, Schaeffer has an extensive exhibition history with both online and traditional galleries, as well as ongoing exhibits at TraillWorks, her studio / gallery in Newton, NJ. In addition to winning entry into several exclusive exhibits including, the Visual Art Center of NJ’s International Juried Show and NYU’s Small Works at 80 East Washington Square Galleries, the artist’s works are part of a growing list of private collections.
Schaeffer’s works have earned her publication in the New York Times, the Village Voice and the Star Ledger, and featured artist on JerseyArts.com. The online publication, Gawker, selected Schaeffer as a “Gawker Artist” and NJ Savvy Living profiled her in the August, 2008 issue. She has received numerous awards, notably from Syracuse University, the Somerset Art Association, and the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council. In January 2008, Schaeffer was awarded the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Scholarship for a month-long residency at Peters Valley Craft Center.
Jennie Traill Schaeffer grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania and holds a BFA in painting and art education from Syracuse University. Her studio/gallery is located at 214 Spring Street in Newton, NJ. She and her husband, Lee, call Newton, NJ, home with their young son, Joel, and dog, Ringo.