About Ms Schmit

​Hi! My name is Mrs. Elizabeth (Beth) Schmit. I live in the Charlotte area with my Husband Brad, our cat Gizmo and our two Cockatiels, Ardin and Luna. I enjoy binge watching horror movies and spending time with friends and family. I started teaching in 2010 and am currently teaching at Northwest School of the Arts. I’m so excited to make this my best year yet!

My Education

​Graduated  May 2009 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts with Art Education as my major. Art is more of a lifestyle choice for me, because of that instead of specializing for my degree I opted for “General Emphasis” so I could experience a diverse range of media including: ceramics, sculpture, metals, book-making, printmaking, digital-media, analogue photography, painting-watercolor, acrylic, and oil), and drawing. More recently I've started to dive into fiber arts. 

Currently I'm the Visual Arts Department Chair at North West School of the Arts in Charlotte Mecklenburg School District, where I teach a plethora of media to middle and high schoolers, but also recently picked up AP Art History. I started here fall of 2017 and still enjoying the ordered chaos it brings to my life. 

One thing I explored prior to teaching was working at Salt Lake City's Castle of Chaos. There I was the "in-house artist" and helped with pre-vis and concept drawings, member of the writing/development team, worked on set design and construction, head makeup designer/artist for 4 years, designed and assembled animatronics, actor manager, stunt and fight choreographer, actor, and occasionally worked security. It was basically my life from 2003-2008.

My Art

Currently I'm working on earning my Master Knitting Certification from The Knitting Guild Association, creating a miniature tea and cake shop, customizing droids, and adding some embroidery designs to my Droid Union Uniform. Among many other mini artventures I find myself in as well. 

About 2014-2020 I worked on developing a series of work centering around what inspires me. Using quotes from my personal heroes and words I live by, I develop illustrations around the hand lettered quotes for another layer of commentary to the visual message. I enjoy the visual “puny-ness” it expresses.
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A process driven series I started in 2010 and continue to explore involves utilizing the pareidolia effect. I start with creating abstract watercolor paintings and then start to add line drawings to the positive/negative space to reveal what I see in it to others. 

Random Facts 

  • From Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Loves crocheting, knitting, and needle felting
  • Loves gardening
  • Worked for Castle of Chaos Haunted House (5 yrs): Started out as an actor ended up Head Makeup Artist, Creative Team member, Set Design/Construction/ and Dressing, Resident Artist, Manager, and security team member.
  • At 16 my first job was working for a Geologist doing things like photo editing and final drafting of geological  maps and cross-sections (7 yrs)
  • Owned and operated Thirsty Nomad Brewing from 2016-2020 with her husband. 

My Favorites

  • Food: Hummus, pasta, Chicken Masala 
  • Movie: The Princess Bride, Practical Magic, Down Periscope, LoTR Trilogy, Prisoner of Azkaban, Big Trouble in Little China
  • Music: Really do like everything, however the Beatles and Pink Floyd  usually trump everything.
  • Books: Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, American Gods and The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Velveteen Vs. Series by Seanan McGuire, 
  • Personal Hero: Tim Rollins, Bill Watterson, Neil Gaiman, and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
  • Artists: Brian Froud, Bill Watterson, Will Pigg, Leonardo Da Vinci, Hieronymus Bosch, Bill Laursen
  • Restaurant: Olive Garden
  • Fast-Food: Wendy's & Noodles ‘n Company
  • Store: Michael’s, Home Depot, and Blazing Needles
  • Dessert: Creme Brulee and frozen yogurt
  • Candy: Dark-chocolate covered almonds
  • Animal: Owl
  • Favorite Artist: Hieronymus Bosch and Brian Froud